Crane and Viper One-Shot Prompts
by v the stranger
Summary: A package of one-shot prompts that feature two Kung Fu masters that I've been shipping for a while... I can cater to other ship requests, but I don't know if it will be good or bad. My main focus are the two characters in the title :))
1. Chapter 1

***Characters don't belong to me. They belong to DreamWorks/whoever else owns them***

 **26\. Sun**

She is the Sun. And he is drawn to her heat.

Cold-blooded his ass. Never in his life has he been with a woman so _hot_.

Looking at her face lovingly, he couldn't resist the urge to sigh at her features. If anything, he pulled her closer to him, to observe her further as they walked along the trail. He is finally with the one he has loved after all this time. Because, like the Sun, she was far from his reach. He spent years flying towards her, trying to get to her. And after getting held back, distracted, turned down, and burnt, he had reached her. They were finally together.

They arrived at the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. The couple sat down together. She was curled in between his legs, captured in the warm embrace of his wings. She cuddled up against his chest, closing her eyes. He placed a kiss on her forehead and she hummed in pleasure, making him smile.

She is the Sun. And he is drawn to her light.

Everything about her is bright. Her eyes shone with the reflection of the remaining stars in the early morning. And her smile shone even brighter.

The calm complexion on her face made him feel at ease. Because, like the Sun, she is in turmoil. From afar, she is beautiful, and seems unaffected by anything thrown at her. She is indestructible, strong. But, once you get closer…you find someone completely different. You see a girl holding everything back. Whatever she doesn't say gets pushed down, way down, deep within her. And, one day, all that turmoil beneath her calm complexion will eventually dissipate and not even _he_ would be able stop it.

And he won't try to stop it.

Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at him cutely, "What are _you_ thinking about?" she asked, booping his beak playfully.

He chuckled and held her closer to his chest, massaging her back, "Go back to sleep," he whispered, gently caressing her face, "You're going to be tired during training~" He tried closing her eyes, but with no success.

"I'm not sleepy any _more_ …" she pouted, taking his hat, placing it on her head, "You're the one who looks tired. You sleep. I'll keep look out~"

"Yeah, right." He rolled his eyes, "You would just fall asleep on me."

She stuck out her tongue, "Ye of little faith…" she mumbled, tracing the rim of the hat, striking a pose, "It's not _my_ fault you're soft~"

"Oh, be quiet, Vi." He blushed and pushed the hat down to cover her face.

She giggled and pulled the hat back up, grinning mischievously, "Make me~"

"I will~" And with that, he pressed his beak against her lips. That sure silenced her.

She is the Su-

A gasp escaped from her mouth and separated from him, "Oh wow! The Sun!" she exclaimed, pointing to the horizon. The bright glow began to slowly engulf the Valley—including the isolated couple.

Her eyes were fixated on the beautiful sight. And his eyes were fixated on an even more beautiful sight.

She turned towards him and her mouth went agape, "Oh, come on, Crane…" she whined with a smile, "Look at the Sun!"

He simply smiled, "I am…"

She is the Sun. And he is drawn to _her_.

 **If you don't dig this ship, there are** ** _a bunch_** **of other awesome and prolly better fics than this one. This is kind of a test for me, better chapter on the way hopefully (?) Anyways, I just haven't seen any finished fics of these two, (even _I_ can't finish an actual full story) so one-shot prompts will do for now. Although, there are _really_ good ones out there and I'll share when I get the chance~**

 **(This is kind of a test chapter to see how the format for this website works. So far, it's pretty good...)**


	2. Chapter 2

**25\. Tea (It was originally 'coffee', but tea fit China better.)**

Closing the door to the barracks, Viper waltzed in happily. In her tail were a few lavender flowers she had picked from the nearby forest. Some nice, calming, lavender tea was what she needed the most right now. Her mind has been in absolute turmoil recently and she just wanted a break. Humming a small tune to herself, she opened the door to the kitchen, and twirled her way in.

"You seem to be in a happy mood…"

Viper quickly turned around, seeing Crane leaning on the table, eating some fruit. The green on her face tinted pink and she regained her normal composure. She didn't even notice him there! How did she manage to do that?! She placed the flowers on the kitchen counter, cleared her throat and gave her fellow Master a smile, "G-good morning, Crane~" she said, turning herself towards the cabinets where the teapot lay, "I-I thought everyone had already gone to the Village…" She opened the pantry and scanned through the shelves—looks like someone moved the teapot.

The avian sighed, throwing the fruit he was eating between his wings, "I wasn't feeling very well this morning, so I slept in a bit. And now, I'm eating breakfast." He finally took a bite out of the fruit and looked over to his comrade, "How about you?" he asked, after swallowing.

The reptile hummed, "Well, I woke up early this morning," she said, opening then closing another pantry, "I couldn't go back to sleep due to incredibly loud thoughts parading through my mind, so I decided to find some ingredients for tea – ah ha! There you are!" She found the teapot on the bottom shelf and grabbed it, bringing it over to the sink, starting to fill it up with water.

Crane peered around her body to see what material she was working with. He rose an eyebrow, "You…make tea…out of… _flowers_?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Viper turned to face him and nodded, "Yes." She said, bluntly, "Some properties in certain flowers can aid with many issues regarding health, depending on the type you use." She turned back to her teapot and let out a silent gasp when she realized the water was overflowing. She turned off the sink and placed the teapot on the stove. Well, she just embarrassed herself in front of Crane…great. Exhaling a calm breath, she took the lavender and began to rinse it under a low output of water. She tried to remain calm. The main reason why she was making this was for the sake of relaxation! But Crane _had_ to be in the kitchen…

"I didn't know you knew about those type of things." Crane said, throwing the core of his fruit into the trash…He missed. He blushed and quickly put it in the bin, hoping Viper didn't see. "Uh, who-who taught you?" he returned to the table, assuming his previous position.

Viper turned the faucet off and jumped onto the counter. It was easier to make the tea this way, "I learned the basics from my mother…" She began to pick apart the lavender, only getting the pieces she needed, "…but when she didn't have the time to teach me, I began to teach myself." She smiled to herself, remembering all of the terrible teas she created, "You know, now that I think about it: I could have _actually_ accidentally died." She took a spoon and crushed her ingredients. She then threw everything into the pot and began to stir.

Crane chuckled, "You are always full of surprises…" he mumbled under his breath.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing~?" Viper asked slyly.

"Good thing! Definite _good thing_!" Crane exclaimed. He smiled nervously, "I've just…always been impressed by you."

Viper stopped stirring for a few seconds; she had frozen in shock. Removing the spoon from the teapot, she closed it with the lid. "Ah, ha ha. How could you be impressed by _me_?" she asked, half-heartedly, not looking him in the eyes. She kept her eyes down—on the counter, the floor, his talons.

"You're a great fighter." Crane started, "Even though you have no limbs, it still takes a lot of strength to use your entire body for fighting. You can slice an entire boulder in half!" Crane looked at Viper and noticed her face was turning red. He smiled, _"Cute…"_ he thought, continuing, "And you're also really kind. When the others are _so hard_ to deal with, you're so mature and nice and sweet and… _amazing_." He trailed off when he realized he started rambling. Viper looked like she was going to explode. Oops…

Viper didn't even feel cold-blooded anymore. No one has ever spoken so highly of her before. She tried to speak, but no words were able to escape her mouth. So, she just ended up stuttering like a flustered idiot like, "Uh-uh-uh-uh, haha. Um, er-"

"AH! AND YOU DANCE!" Crane exclaimed, waving his wings frantically in front of him, attempting to salvage the situation. Viper finally looked up at him, startled by his sudden outburst, "Hehe, you-you ribbon dance~" he said, lowering his voice, "Whenever you dance, you're so graceful and you're really pretty…"

Whoop, there it is. Viper could just put the teapot on her face. That definitely would make the water boil faster, "Ah…C-Crane…?"

Crane noticed this and, again, tried to salvage the situation, "GOOD!" he yelled, "…you're _really_ pretty _good_ at it—at dancing…" he looked away, pulling his hat over his eyes, covering his red face.

Viper giggled, "Th-thank you for your flattery, Master Crane." She said, shyly to the cute man in front of her, "You…you're really pretty amazing as well…" she looked over to her teapot and gasped, "Oh, shoot!" The water had boiled to the point where the lid began jumping around due to the bubbles trying to escape. She turned off the stove and removed the teapot from it. "Ah, I hope it still works!"

She panicked her way off the counter and past Crane, fetching a teacup – oh wait! She turned to the avian Master, "Uh…would you like some as well?" she smiled sweetly.

How could he say 'no'? "Of course! I-if you don't mind…"

Viper took two cups from the shelf and rushed back. She skillfully placed them on the table and the rest of her movements had to be seen in slow motion for them to be seen. She had to move faster than she usually does because she let it boil for too long. She needs to get the sugar and honey in before the calming properties in the lavender dissipate.

Crane's eyes tried following the speedy snake dashing through the kitchen, "Woah…" he said under his breath, amazed.

After placing all that was needed to the table, she took the teapot and gently poured the tea into his and her cups, "Sorry, I couldn't find the strainer in time, so just try not to swallow the lavender buds, okay?" She spoke so fast, Crane barely deduced what she said…but he just nodded in agreement because he wasn't sure whether asking her to repeat herself was a good idea.

"Do you want sugar? Honey? How much if you want any?"

"Uh…just do whatever you usually do! I trust your expertise!"

"Ah! Okay! Okay!" She added in sugar and honey, then slid Crane's cup across the table, "Cheers!" she smiled, raising her cup towards him.

Crane laughed, "Cheers~" They clinked their cups together and took a sip.

Viper looked at Crane, trying to see if he liked it…Well…he began chugging it all without even being precautious of the buds like she told him to, so that was probably a good sign. She swallowed and let out a calm sigh. It still worked. Thank goodness. "So…you like it?"

Crane was reaching over to the teapot, "Yes!" he smiled nervously, "Hehe…May I-?"

"Go ahead~" she said, waving her tail at him.

Crane smiled and refilled his cup, "This taste's amazing! Why don't you make this more often?!"

"Only on special occasions." She winked, taking another sip, "If you have any requests, I'll see if I can make it for you~"

Crane went wide eyed, "Really?"

Viper nodded shyly, "Uhm…y-yeah~" She wiped a bit of tea off her lips.

"Wow, you really _are_ amazing, Viper…"

Viper just wanted to make some nice calming tea on her day off, and she ended up making conversation with one of her teammates. She thought being with Crane would increase her anxiety, but it did exactly the opposite. Being with him had made her feel…at peace with herself.

Maybe she didn't have to make the tea after all.

 **Second test. Slightly longer chapter. This chapter takes place** ** _before_** **they started dating. I'll specify the timeline at the beginning of the chapters once I get a good grip on this. (And when I see that people actually enjoy what I write.)**

 **Also-before anyone else points it out-I, too, am not pleased with that ending. Like...oh geez. And I know nothing of how to make flower tea. I looked I searched up the basics things you need to know about it, but DO NOT TRY THIS NOT HOME.**

 **Have a nice day/night depending on where you guys live~! :)**


	3. Chapter 3 - FESTIVAL

**14\. Dance**

Crane smiled at all the villagers in the Valley greeting him. The Music Festival had finally arrived to the village. The sights and sounds from everybody, seeing everyone dancing and singing and laughing, made the village even more lively than it normally is. The team had split up once they reached the village. Po had gone to help his father—and he was pretty sure Tigress went along with him. Monkey and Mantis were probably off somewhere, taking advantage of all the free food. And Viper…

Viper?

Where _was_ she?

Suddenly a roar of cheers erupted throughout the central square. There were many villagers surrounding the middle, watching a performance. Perhaps Viper was there. As he got closer, he noticed something purple waving through the air. He stretched his neck to look over the crowds, trying to see why so many animals wanted to watch…whatever it was they were watching. He knew he could simply fly over the crowd, but he didn't want to cheat his way through the show…

Ah, screw it. No one's gonna notice him anyway.

He shot up into the air and looked down to see who was the center of attention. He lowered himself down to get a clearer view. When he finally found a perfect hovering place he gasped at who was dancing, "Viper?"

The reptile was dancing with a beautiful purple ribbon, but no one payed attention to _that_ piece of fabric. They were focused on the _true_ beauty holding it. Her movements were graceful and fluid, hypnotizing her audience. She even added a few of her extra touches to her dance, making it even more unique and amazing. Crane found himself not being able to pull his eyes away from the beautiful dancer. He has seen her dance before…at night…in her room. He didn't mean to peep in on her! He just so happened to look through the crack of her door for a good ten minutes before being inevitably caught by Monkey, Mantis, and Tigress—getting a good scowling from Tigress, and some bad teasing from the other two—but how could he not look at her! Like… _look_ at her! He couldn't blame all the villagers for watching such a talented woman!

"Hey! Get down here ya' cheater!"

Crane looked in the crowd, seeing Mantis atop Monkey's head, yelling at him, "We all can't fly like you, y'know! I've been trying to get a good view for twenty minutes!"

Geez, she's been dancing for _that_ long?

Villagers then began to notice him and started to complain as well. Crane knew this wasn't fair for everybody else, but he didn't want to move. But now animals were yelling at him…

The next thing he knew, he was wrapped in a purple, silky, fabric. He followed the ribbon and made eye contact with Viper, who just smiled at him, "Huh? – AHHHHHH!" And then he got pulled down towards her.

She caught him in her tail, still encased in her ribbon grip. She pulled him close and pressed their faces together, "Hey~" she said, starting to guide the two of them into a spinning motion.

Crane smiled nervously, "Hey~" He looked around at the staring villagers, then back at the enticing dancer, "So…you come around here often?"

Viper rolled her eyes and switched their spinning direction, "What were you thinking?" she confronted, getting straight to the point, "You can't just _fly_ above the show. Animals get angsty at things like that."

"Well, I'm sorry…" Crane whispered, "I just really wanted to see what everyone was so excited about." He looked her up and down. She _was_ really looking extravagant tonight. She put on lipstick. Was she wearing a vanilla scent? "I should have known it was you~"

Viper hummed, "Flattery won't get you off a hate list, Master Crane," she teased. She moved back and pulled on the ribbon, making Crane spin out of control until he was untied. After the world stopped spinning, he looked back at Viper, who seemed to have a sly look in her eyes, "Dance with me~" she smiled, holding out her tail.

Crane blushed and quickly shook his head, "Ah, oh no. I don't dance." He whispered, beginning to back away.

Viper frowned and whipped her ribbon at him nonchalantly, bringing him back towards her, "Look, I'm trying to save you right now," she whispered, pulling on the ribbon so his face came closer, "Do you want to get mauled by that crowd?" She motioned her eyes to the villagers who were staring at them intensely.

Crane looked out at the audience and winced, "But-but Viper, I _really_ can't dance. What if I ruin it?" He looked into her eyes and then down to her lips, which formed the kind smile he loved. He blushed when he realized how close they were together. Was this a normal lip to beak proximity for friends? _"We're this close so the villagers think we're dancing…"_ he thought as an excuse.

"Master Crane, where is that _amazing_ confidence I've seen in you everyday?" she asked, probably not expecting an answer, but Crane sure reacted in a flustered manner. Viper moved back a bit, "Just follow my lead—we can improvise once you get the hang of it~" She winked and jumped into the air, twirling the ribbon around her body with one fluid movement to regain the audience's attention.

The cheering resumed its previous volume once Viper began to dance, but Crane seemed to be stuck in place. He didn't know what to do! Viper approached him and began dancing around him, "Don't freak out." She whispered.

"What do you-?" Crane never got a chance to finish because Viper threw herself onto him, wrapping her body around his neck, the ribbon falling around both of them.

"Fly up a bit…" Viper said, while tracing her tail up his neck, pulling their faces together so they were touching.

Crane shivered at the tone of her voice and the smooth feeling of her touch and began to move his wings, having the two of them hover above the ground. And then, without warning, Viper sild his hat off his head and placed it on her own. A few animals whistled out cat calls and the kids did the _'ooh'_ thing.

"Crane's getting it _on_!" Mantis cheered from the back, "You gonna take that?!"

Although, he completely ignored his comment. He looked at Viper with shocked eyes, but she just looked back at him with a smirk and sexy eyes from underneath his hat. Who is this woman? When did Viper get so…hot~? He blinked and cleared his throat, "N-now what?" he asked the alluring reptile wearing his hat.

She gave him the supposed snake version of a shrug, "Your turn~" she stuck her tongue out, barely grazing his beak. He rose an eyebrow unsurely and Viper chuckled, "Come on! I trust you~!"

Crane sighed, "I guess I have no choice then, do I?"

"You brought this on yourself, Crane~"

He looked to all the villagers, awaiting their next move. Moving his gaze back to Viper, he smirked and chuckled to himself, "Hang on…"

"What is that supposed to-WOAH!" With a single flap of his wings, Crane boosted himself and Viper _high_ into the sky — _waaaay_ above the village—spinning through the air, with the ribbon spiraling behind them. When he stopped, he saw that Viper was holding onto him really tight and her eyes were wide, "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, yeah, yeah…" she said unsurely, looking down at the ground, "Just…surprised." She laughed, "I never expected that!"

Crane laughed along, " _You're_ saying that _you're_ surprised?! HA!" He spun in a circle, "You're like a completely different woman when you're dancing! I wasn't expecting you to act so upfront and hot and sexy to me at all!" Wait…did he just-? He said that out loud…didn't he?

The laughter quickly died down and Viper was left feeling red in the face, "Ah…" she started, but no words came out. She didn't know what to say! She couldn't even slither away from the situation because, well, they're seventy feet off the ground, "You-you thought I was-?" She felt embarrassed to repeat the words…

…so, Crane said them for her, "Hot and sexy?" he finished. He sighed, moving his head down to try and cover his face with his hat, then he remembered Viper still had it on her head. No escaping eye-contact this time… "Um…heh, s-sorry, I-I didn't mean to say that out loud…"

"But did you…mean it?"

Crane gulped, "Ah, um, er, ha-ha, ah, uh…" he cleared his throat and looked her straight in those azure blue eyes, "Yes. Yes, I did." He hoped she wouldn't take it too seriously. _"Please don't hit me! Please don't hit me!"_

Viper just pulled his hat off of her, covering her mouth. Crane heard her giggling a bit from behind it and his beak dropped, "Hey! Don't be mean! I'm really embarrassed!" He snatched his hat back with his talons and awkwardly placed it on his head.

This exposed Viper's cute smile, "S-sorry! I-I don't mean to!" she exclaimed, trying to cover her mouth, "I-I'm just laughing at the compliment…" she calmed herself down, "No one has ever said that I'm… _attractive_ before…" she blushed, looking away from him, "It…it made me happy~"

Crane blinked. What? He pushed his hat up, making eye contact with her, "Really? No one has even called you beautiful?"

Viper lift her ribbon up, looping it around them, "Nope. At least…not in the way you just did." There have been men who have flirted with her, but none of them really meant what they were saying about her.

He shook his head in disbelief, "How? You're the most beautiful woman I've…ever…seen…" he realized where his sentence was going and he began to trail off again, "Ah, what is wrong with me tonight?"

Viper giggled again, "I could ask the same thing about myself…" she said. He was making her blush like _no one's_ business, "You're really sweet, Crane. Thank you." And without thinking, she placed a light kiss on his neck.

She pulled away and Crane was left with a dumbfounded look on his face. She…just kissed him?! On his neck! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-! "W-w-w-w-w-we should…go back. Down." he said, not wanting to go back down. Being up here with Viper was nice. Just the two of them. This could be his chance to get closer to her…but it is not to be.

Viper nodded curtly, "Y-yes. You're right…" She rubbed the back of her neck, "They're all probably wondering where we are."

"Right. Right…" he shook himself out of his little trance, "Hang on~"

"Please don't dive too-FAST!" Of course, her plea went unnoticed and she lost grip of her ribbon while they fell, "Crane! My ribbon!"

Crane just chuckled and they landed on the ground gracefully, creating a gust of wind that spread throughout the crowd.

"Holy shit! There they are!" came Mantis' loud voice from the series of _woah's_ and _oh's_ that came from the audience.

Crane smiled at Viper who was giving him a look of annoyance. She lightly punched his chest, "Crane! You made me lose my-! Wait…" She looked up then back at the smirking avian. She frowned, trying to suppress a smile, "You…"

Crane shrugged, "Wanna finish what you were gonna say?"

She rolled her eyes and held out her tail, "I take back _everything_ I said up there."

"Even the kiss~?" Crane teased.

Suddenly the purple ribbon landed in Viper's open tail, which earned a loud roar of praise and applause from the villagers. Viper snickered and traced the tip of tail up his neck and circled the area where she kissed him. The gesture made him shudder in pleasure at her sensual touch. She hummed at his reaction, "Hmm, I don't think I could take the kiss back even if I tried~" She jumped off him and began to slither away, but not before looking back and winking at him.

…Leaving Crane with a goofy looking grin of a man in love. His eyes followed her until she left his view, "Hee hee hee hee…"

The rest of the Five and Po pushed past all the villagers and approached the love dazed Crane, "Hellooooo?" Po said, waving a paw in front of his friend's face, "Earth to Crane?!"

"He's completely spaced out…" Tigress said, flicking his face. He was unfazed.

"What _happened_ up there?" Monkey asked, looking up at the sky.

Mantis jumped onto Crane's shoulder, "I don't know, but whatever happened got Crane all loopyyyyy…. OHHHHHH MY GODS!" Mantis fell off of him and began rolling on the ground laughing.

Monkey picked the insect up, "What? What did you-?"

Mantis pointed to the avian.

Monkey's jaw dropped and he began laughing along.

"Crane! I had no idea you and Viper-!" He didn't even finish his sentence, he was laughing so hard.

The two warriors pointed out what they saw to Po and Tigress.

And all of this went unnoticed by Crane.

It was late at night and Crane was still up. He tried to sleep, but Mantis and Monkey wouldn't stop talking to him. He didn't even know what they were talking about. Viper hadn't come back yet, so he assumed she was still dancing. She must be so tired. Viper was the type of woman who can't say 'no' or quit something she has started, so the villagers were probably urging her to continue dancing.

The doors to the kitchen opened and in came a yawning Viper. She noticed Crane right away and she blushed deeply, "O-oh, C-Crane...!" she exclaimed, trying to cover her face with her ribbon, "You-you're still awake…"

He nodded, "Yeah, I couldn't sleep," he filled up two glasses of water, "Monkey and Mantis have been bothering me all evening ever since you left me standing in the middle of that crowd like an idiot…" he began to drink his water. He then choked a bit, having a coughing fit, "Ah! N-not that _you_ were the idiot for leaving me! I mean, _I_ was the idiot because I was standing there, watching you leave and I looked like an idi-" he sighed, "Do-do you want a glass of water?" he held out the second glass he got ready for her.

Viper smiled and took it happily, "Thank you~" she chugged the liquid down immediately. She sighed and placed the glass back on the counter, "I. Am. Exhausted." She then looked at his neck and blushed even more.

Crane rose an eyebrow, "Are…you okay?" he asked.

Viper nodded and looked away from him again, "Um, yes…" she looked back at him, "Crane? Have you…looked in a mirror?"

"N-no…Why? Is there something on my face?" Maybe that was what Monkey and Mantis were trying to tell him…

"Remember…" she looked around her and went into a whisper, "…that kiss I couldn't take back?"

Crane blushed, "Of-of course. How could I forget…?" His goofy grin started to reform on his face, "I liked it a lo-"

Viper held up a metal pot in front of his face, "Look at where I kissed you…"

Crane turned his face to the side and he spat out his water. In the reflection of the metal pot…was a lipstick stain on his neck!

He immediately covered up his neck with one wing and moved the pot away with the other, so that he was facing Viper, "You marked me with lipstick and you didn't tell me?!" he yelled in a whisper.

"I thought you would have washed it off by now!"

"Yeah, well, how would I have noticed when you left me so flirty like that without saying anything else?!"

"I thought you would catch the hint!"

Crane washed off the lipstick before Shifu woke them up the next morning and Crane and Viper agreed to never speak of that night again.

Mantis and Monkey on the other hand…

Yeah, they didn't let it go for the rest of the month.

 **Again, not satisfied with the ending. Could have been better, but I realized it was getting too long and I had to find** ** _some_** **way to end it. (Although, I like the idea of a flirtatious Viper.) Also, I might make a revamp of this one day, because I'm just realizing that the plot is kinda confusing as heckity heck.**

 **So, this is number 3. Chapter update schedule is** ** _not_** **going to be daily because school is ending in my part of the world, and exams are huuuuuuuuh.**

 **Anyways, feel free to leave some** ** _constructive_** **criticism, and/or other ways I can write these. I already have multiple prompts that I should get working on, so stay tuned for that I guess.**

 **'Til I update again friends~ :))**


	4. Chapter 4

**231\. Shy**

Crane couldn't believe that he was going to be trained at the _Jade Palace_! It was definitely a massive upgrade from training at the academy.

He was standing in his new room, his suitcase in the corner of the room, untouched ever since he arrived a few days ago—he would unpack later. He was the last to arrive, so he might have _a bit_ of a social interaction disadvantage. But nevertheless, he will try his best to get to know his new teammates.

Although, he doubts any of them could be better than Mei Ling.

Sliding the door open to his room, he saw that the door to the room directly in front of his was open. Perhaps he should start with this one. He peered into the room and saw a snake. Oh! She was the dancer, Viper! (Of course, that wasn't her real name. Master Shifu said that they should refer to themselves by their species for formalities.) She seemed to be writing something down on a scroll.

He exhaled and mustered up his newfound confidence and knocked on her door, "Hey-!"

She gasped and accidentally dropped her brush, scattering ink all over the parchment. Her eyes showed traces of shock as she looked over to him. Crane winced. Not…the _ideal_ reaction he expected, "Ah! S-sorry!" he exclaimed, walking into the room, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Viper just shook her head and rolled up the ruined scroll, "No, it's okay. I'm just going to get another scroll. I'll see you later…" She avoided any more eye contact and quickly slithered out of the room.

Crane blinked in confusion. "Oh…okay."

 _Definitely_ not the initial reaction he expected.

OOO

Master Shifu called everyone down to the main courtyard. He instructed the five of them to speak with each other. "I understand you all fought off Boar together, but I doubt you any had time to get to know each other. Before we start training, I want you all to take a few minutes to communicate with your teammates."

And with that, the awkwardness began.

Well, for him at least. Monkey, Mantis, and Tigress seemed to be very well acquainted already. Ah, that's right. Monkey and Mantis didn't live that far from the Valley, so they were the very first two to arrive—which meant _lots_ of time for the two to speak with Tigress. The only one that Crane would probably be most comfortable speaking with is…Viper.

He looked around and noticed that she was curled in the same position Shifu left them in. Taking a deep breath, he approached her, hoping his approach wouldn't trigger a repeat of this morning. "Hey. Again." He said, waving over to her, "Sorry about your scroll. Again."

Viper looked up at him and smiled, "D-don't worry about it." She said, looking back down at the ground, "I'm sorry for running off like that. You just startled me and I'm not very good at socializing." She touched one of the lotus flowers that lay upon her head, "You're…Crane?" Viper tilted her head to the side, looking over to face him.

Crane nodded, "Yup. And you're Viper. I know all about your father. It must be _so cool_ to have him as your father." He smiled, attempting to engage in conversation.

The snake's face dropped, and she avoided eye contact once more, "Um, yeah. It's… _so cool_." She smiled and exhaled heavily. Crane observed her stance. She was in a defensive position. Her body was curled up and her back looked tense. Her eyes were looking everywhere in the courtyard _except_ at the person she was talking to. Something was up…

Before he could start another topic, Master Shifu called them in. Sparring against each other would be their first act as training. First up was Crane…and Tigress.

OOO

Crane opened his eyes to see the blurry ceiling of his room. Where was he? Wasn't he _just_ in the training hall? He sat up but got pushed back down by an unknown force.

"Lay down. You got knocked out pretty bad." A lovely voice spoke to him.

He groaned, feeling a headache coming on. He lifts his head up and saw a fuzzy vision of a figure going around his room, "What…happened?"

The figure sighed, "Well, there isn't much to say…" Crane felt something cold on his forehead, "You and Tigress went to spar, she punched you, you got knocked out. And now I'm here."

Crane blinked a few times to clear his vision. Hovering beside his bed was none other than Viper, "Viper?"

"Uhm, yes. Hello…" She smiled and gave him a little wave, "You thirsty?"

Crane nodded slowly, and Viper presented a glass of water that she had brought in while he was unconscious. He took it from her and smiled, "Thank you." He took a few sips and placed the glass back on the floor, "So…why are you here?"

He noticed her blush. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away, "Ah, I, uh, I…volunteered to take care of you. But-but that's because I-I know _a lot_ about medical stuff. It's not because I didn't want to spar with the other or anything like that…" Her voice slowly trailed off into a mumble, and her body began to coil up.

Crane smiled, "Hey, it's fine. I appreciate what you're doing." He tilted his head to try and look her in the eyes, "You don't need to be shy. We're gonna be teammates after all."

His comment seemed to make her blush even more. Viper looked at the floor bashfully, "I-I'm not shy..." she said defensively, "I'm-I'm just…" She sighed. "…I'm not used to this. Having…others around me. Thus, meaning I haven't had much experience with social interaction, and I'm rambling again. Ah, I'm sorry. You just woke up and now I'm pestering you. I should just leave –" She turned towards the door.

"W-Wait!" Crane's wing reached out and grazed her back, making her freeze. He blushed and pulled back, getting back into his previous position on his bed. Viper turned back around to face him. The avian sighed, "I-I don't want to be alone. I already feel like an outcast, being the last one to arrive. I just…want someone here I can talk to." Viper finally looked up at him and he smiled, "So…how about we start over?" he asked, unsurely.

Viper just looked at him. Crane winced. Did he mess up? Was this too much for her? Maybe he should lay off- "Hey." Viper said, "You must be Crane. I'm Viper. I think you're really nice. And…I'm excited to be your teammate~" She smiled happily.

Crane blushed at her sudden change. Did he…just become her acquaintance? He laughed softly and tilted his hat towards her playfully, "Nice to meet you Viper. I think you're really kind as well."

Viper rose an eyebrow, "You want some ice? You moved your waist when you reached out to me and _that's_ where the bruise is…"

"Yes, please. Oh, my Gods, it hurts so bad. Thank you so much…" He groaned, laying back down.

The reptile giggled cutely, "I'll be right back. Don't hurt yourself while I'm gone." She slithered out the door.

"I'll sure try!" He called after her. He sighed and smiled to himself. He had a feeling he was _really_ gonna like it here. It was a new start for him. He then thought about that morning. He decided that his statement before had been proven incorrect…

"I'm back~!"

…perhaps there _was_ someone better than Mei Ling.

But that's all depends on what happens in the future…

OOO

 **Greetings and Salutations once again friends!**

 **So, it's nearly been a week, but we hit 200 reads already. So yeah! Thanks friends~! Double the awesome points from last week! 180 awesome points and a longer chapter, ayyyyyeeee!1!**

 **I'm postin' now because it's kinda hectic over here, and there prolly won't be an update for a bit. So I just wanted to give y'all something before you think I abandoned this. I'm not.**

I **t's exam season on this side of the world, and standardized tests that literally mean** ** _nothing_** **are also a thing here. So I have that, but you guys have this so yay.**

 **I'm saying 'so' a lot, which is prolly a sign for me to dash.**

 **Anywho, gotta go study and stuff.**

 **Thanks you again for 200 reads~!**

 **-V**


	5. Chapter 5

***Read A/N when you're done if you want to be informed on future updates***

 **112\. Muse**

Viper paced about her room—trying to ignore the huge easel and canvas in the middle it. She had no idea what she was supposed to do! She hasn't painted in years!

Viper had been pretty worked up lately. She had just received a message that one of her sisters got into a fight and received very serious injuries. She couldn't leave the Jade Palace and her sister said that she didn't want Viper to travel all the way there…but that didn't mean she wouldn't worry her scales off though! Throughout the week, she has heard no news on how her sister is doing. Viper doesn't usually get so stressed over these things, but this was _her sister_! Her family means everything to her and she can't stand knowing one of them is hurt and she isn't doing jackshit.

Shifu noticed that Viper hadn't been eating and her sleep depravity from the notable large, ugly, eyebags under her eyes. Although, he only realized it was serious when she passed out during training. So, he gave her a few days off and asked Crane to help her find ways to release her stress.

Crane came into her room the next day with and easel and paper, "Painting helps me calm down, maybe it'll help you~!" he had said, placing a paintbrush in her tail and gave her a couple ink bottles, "Have you ever painted before?"

"When I was little…but–"

"Perfect! Have fun then!" he flew out but then poked his head back in, "Also, Shifu saw that you didn't go to sleep last night, so now you're under room-arrest. I'll bring you lunch later!" He left without another word.

And now we're here.

A blank canvas, and a _still_ stressed Viper.

She stopped pacing for a second and faced the paper. She sighed and put the tip of the paintbrush to her chin. She had to draw _something_ before Crane came back. Shaking her head to snap out of whatever daze she was in, Viper dawned a determined look upon her face. Dipping her paintbrush in the black ink, she lifts it up to the canvas and slowly moved it towards the paper… "I got this. No problem. It's just a simple painting…" she told herself, keeping the brush a few centimetres away from touching the parchment, "You used to do this all the time. Just put…the brush…on the…stupid sheet!" She struggled with her tail. It seemed to _not_ want to move, " _Come oooon_!" she groaned, "Do this for _her_! She wouldn't want you to worry…"

Still no movement.

"Ugh! Dumb brush. Why can't I do this? Whenever Crane does calligraphy he does it right away. Then again, he _is_ just writing words… But that's still art, right? I mean, it looks pretty…" She began rambling to herself quietly. Although, she was so distracted that she didn't hear someone enter the room…

"Hey Viper! I brought your lunch!" Crane announced, barging in holding a bowl of soup, "How's the painting going-?" His eyes then shifted to the same blank canvas he had left her with _hours_ ago. He frowned and moved his eyes to Viper.

Viper chuckled nervously and placed the paintbrush into the black ink bottle, "You…can put the soup on the table…" she said, pointing to her side table near her bed.

Crane sighed and walked over to it, "I can see that _very_ good progress has been made on your art piece." Crane blinked when he noticed that Viper's breakfast was still on the table—left untouched. She _still_ isn't eating. He decided not to mention it yet. He simply moved the plate to the side to make room for the bowl.

Viper rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, "I've been _trying_ to paint," She rests her forehead on one of the legs of the easel, "but I feel no motivation. Also, I just have no idea what to paint..." Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She looked at Crane and grinned, "Actually…" Slithering up to the avian, she circled around him, staring him up and down.

"Uhh…Viper?"

Viper smiled and grabbed his wing, pulling him to the corner of her room, "Wait, Viper-?!"

Viper lifts herself up to his face, "I can paint _you_!" she exclaimed, poking his chest with the tip of her tail. She turned to slither to the easel, which means she didn't see Crane's beak drop.

 _Him?!_ Paint _him_! Why _him_?! Crane quietly tried to object, "Um, Viper, I really don't think I should-"

The reptile's face popped out from behind the canvas, "Pl _eeeeaaaase_ Crane?" she asked with pleading eyes, "You were the one who wanted me to do this~"

Crane looked at his teammate. This seemed like the first time this week where she was excited about something. If he did this, it would most likely distract her from her sister. With a sigh of conformity, Crane straightened his posture, "How mould you like me to pose~?" he asked.

Viper's eyes lit up, "Just do whatever!" she beamed. Crane posed in a pretty standard position—he didn't want to make it too hard for her. And then, after _hours_ of no inspiration, she began painting.

OOO

There was mainly silence in the room as Viper continued to paint her friend. Although, the two didn't seem to mind. As Viper was observing all of Crane's features, she began to notice how good of a body her teammate has. She has never really… _'checked him out'_ before. When she asked to paint him, she just thought he would be easy to paint seeing as half his body was two lines.

"Hey Viper?"

Viper snapped out of her thoughts and focused her attention back to her muse, "Yeah?" She finished off his torso and wings. All that was left was his hat.

"Why did you want to paint me?"

Viper froze her brush. She looked over the easel and saw Crane looking at her, waiting for an answer. After looking him over, she went back to painting, "I-I just…" She couldn't say that she thought he'd be easy! What a crappy friend that would make her look like! "I noticed that your body proportions were well defined and pretty even. So, you'd be interesting to paint seeing as I've never painted anyone like _you_ before."

" _'_ _Like me_?'" Crane repeated, "What do you mean by _'like me'_?"

Viper blushed, "Y'know…because you have a nice personality, and a nice hat, and you're just nice, and…" she sighed and gave up attempting to stall, "…and…I-I guess you're kinda handsome and stuff…" she mumbled, hiding her face behind the canvas in embarrassment.

After not hearing a comment from Crane, Viper carefully peeked at him and saw that his face was frozen.

Oh gods, she broke him….

She winced and tried to think of ways to salvage the situation. She quickly finished off Crane's hat, "Oh look, ha ha, the painting's finished~!" she chuckled nervously, "Wanna see it, Crane?"

Crane blinked. What…just happened? Did he zone out? He looked at Viper and walked up to the canvas, "S-sure. You spent all this time working on it—woah!" One look and Crane was immediately brought back to the real world. The painting was incredible. So much detail it looked amazing! "Viper, this is so good!" he wrapped a wing around her, "Where did you learn to paint like this?!"

Viper blushed and looked away from him, "I taught myself…" she pursed her lips, "But…I haven't painted in years…"

"Nevertheless…you have a hidden talent." He looked over to her and smiled, "I'm proud you did this. Do you…feel better?"

Viper's mouth formed a small 'o' shape. She…felt good. She felt relaxed, as if so much pressure was taken off her heart and was poured into the painting. Viper smiled. She smiled the brightest smile that she hasn't shown in a while, "Thank you, Crane! I-I _do_ feel better~!"

Crane blushed. Huh. He hasn't noticed how much he missed Viper's wonderful smile. Seeing her happy again…made him want to feel happy too! "C'mon, _you_ still have to eat." He walked over to the side table and grabbed the cold soup, "Let's warm this up!"

Viper nodded, "Right! I'm starving!" She smiled, and opened the door, and the two went to the kitchen.

Painting really worked. But…it didn't work until Crane came. Viper smiled to herself. Crane was the one who wanted her to paint, but she had no idea what to paint. Crane was always there for her. He was her inspiration. When she saw him, she just knew to paint him. It had to be him. Always him.

She giggled. He really _is_ her muse.

OOO

Once the soup was reheated, Viper immediately began to chow down on the noodles. Crane couldn't help but snicker at her cute eating. "Hey Viper."

The reptile looked up at her muse, "Yeah?"

"Y'know…you're…kinda beautiful and stuff." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Viper swallowed her soup and blushed intensely. Was she frozen? She tried picking up her chopsticks…

Yup, she's frozen.

OOO

 **Greetings~**

 **Here's an update, yay! I'm gonna post a short one tomorrow to make up for next week. I won't be able to post that week, but hopefully I'll be able to update** ** _more_** **after all my tests.**

 **I know that in** ** _a lot_** **of fics** ** _Viper_** **is the one posing while Crane is painting, so I just wanted to mix things up a bit~!**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading! Expect an update tomorrow! (But not next week!)**

 **-V**


	6. Chapter 6 - FESTIVAL

**Lotus Festival**

Coming from someone else's perspective, the interactions between the two teenagers would have been seen as flirty or "lovey-dovey." When in reality, it was simply a friend—or glorified acquaintance?—trying to help another.

They were only a month into their training at the Jade Palace and a Festival was being held in the village. The Five of them were in the middle of sparring when their Master told them they were allowed to participate in the festivities. Although, he seemed reluctant while breaking the news; Master Oogway _must_ have convinced him.

As expected, the students were beaming with excitement…all but one, that is.

Viper did _not_ express _any_ interest in participating. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy festivals (in fact, she loved festivals), she was simply self conscious of what the outcome might be if she _does_ go. Master Shifu described it as "a great opportunity for the team to bond," and Viper _did_ want to be a part of that. But attempting conversations with those she barely knew, slithering around a village of strangers, around so many animals…

She already felt her breath accelerating. Quickly calming herself down, before anyone noticed, she quietly slithered away from the celebrating group and towards her two Masters. They were in the middle of a conversation. She hesitated. Perhaps she would wait for another time. Turning around, she began to slither away-

"Young Viper, you have a question for us?"

The elder tortoise's voice made Viper stop dead in her tracks. She cringed. She was unable to escape the situation now, so she faced her fate. She turned back around and slithered back to the Masters, "Ah, uh-um, yes," she stuttered, "S-sorry, you both were in the middle of a conversation so I figured I would ask later…" She spoke too quickly out of nervousness.

"No need to apologize," Master Shifu said, placing his paws in his baggy sleeves, "What is it you wish to ask?"

Viper looked at the ground and fumbled around with her tail, "This may seem like a ludicrous request, seeing how the others reacted, but…" She looked up, making contact with the two pairs of intimidating eyes of the Masters. She inhaled deeply, gathering her courage, "M-may I please stay in the barracks tonight?"

The two masters didn't look as if the were fazed, but little did she know they were confused. At first, Master Shifu thought she was joking, but the pleading looks in her eyes told him otherwise. He looked to Oogway in an attempt to signal for him to try and salvage the situation. The tortoise simply tilted his head at Viper, "Why do you wish to stay, child?" he asked, bringing his cane forward, leaning on it, "Do you not want to spend time with your team?"

"It-it's not that, Master," Viper replied, looking at the group with a sigh, "…I just…can't."

Unable to understand the situation being presented, Shifu stepped in blindly, "Of course you can, Viper," he said, patting her on the back, "You have been training with them for a month. You all must be well acquainted by now."

"Master, it's not that I-"

"And you deserve a break after working do hard on your new fighting style," Master Shifu cut her off, "I understand that you're nervous-"

"I-I'm not-"

"-but going to this festival will help…" he struggled to think of a phrase, "…boost your confidence."

Now that was definitely the incorrect thing to say in Viper's situation and Oogway knew it. Unfortunately, Shifu did not, "Now go on and get yourself ready."

Viper wanted to explain, but she stopped herself and simply nodded, slithering away. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't calm her breathing. She quickly raced to the nearest water source, making sure no one saw her leave…

OOO

"So how was that?" Shifu asked Oogway after Viper left, "Was that good?" After the situation with Tigress, he has been trying to encourage his students rather than bring them down.

Oogway just blinked and shook his head slowly, walking away from the red panda, "Oh, Shifu…" he mumbled to himself. "One day…one day…"

"What? What did I do wrong?!"

OOO

Looking at her reflection in her mirror, Viper tried to put on a smile. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it right. One seemed too forced, another was too wide, one looked sad, this other one was too small—all in all, they looked _fake_. Pouting in frustration, she decided to work on her smile later. Adjusting the lotus flower clips atop her head, she began to strategize her conversation options. Getting herself into an awkward situation was the last thing she wanted, so planning out future conversations was perfect!

There was a sudden knock on her door, making her jump a bit, and she dropped her clip on the floor, "Ah! Uh, c-come in!" she said, reaching down to pick up her lotus flower.

"Uh-um…Master Shifu is asking all of us to come down now…" said a nervous voice from behind her, "Are you almost ree _eeeaa_ aady…?"

"Oh, y-yes. I just need to…" she looked in the mirror to see Crane standing in her doorway. His eyes were wide and he seemed flustered. She blushed under his gaze and placed the clip back on her head, "There…" she turned around to face him, "I'm sorry, was I taking too long?"

Crane shook his head slowly, "N-no…I-I was just sent to get everyone…" He tried to speak normally, but for some reason he just felt so astounded by this creature in front of him. The sun was setting over the Valley, casting an ember glow on her. Her eyes were bright, and her face had a cute, rosy tint to it that made his stomach do flips. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. Perhaps it's because back at the Academy, there weren't many snakes—the animals were mostly of the larger variety—so he wasn't used to seeing animals of such a slender category…

"Oh, a-alright…" Her angelic voice snapped him out of his…whatever that was, "Well, I'm ready. Shall we go?"

He blinked before nodding, moving out of the way, allowing Viper to leave the room first. He closed her door and followed behind her, looking at her back. The symbols all across her were so enticing. He felt really wrong looking at her the way he was, but he couldn't stop himself. You would think after a month he would get used to her, but if he was being honest, he hadn't really noticed her…physical features as much as her fighting physicality. He was so intrigued with her fighting style that he never paid attention to-

"Geez dude, at least _try_ to hide the fact that you're checking out Viper."

Viper froze, feeling heat rush to her face. She turned her head to look at Crane, "Wh-what?"

Crane blushed intensely. He then saw Mantis on his shoulder, smirking at him. Crane gave the little bug a hateful look. He simply shrugged, "Hey, if you didn't want to get caught, you wouldn't have made it _so_ obvious." Mantis jumped off and began going ahead of them, "Now hurry up! I wanna get down there to eat all the food! It's _free_!" He sped off…leaving Viper and Crane stuck in this awkward situation…

This is exactly what Viper wanted to _avoid_! She didn't want this!

Crane tried to salvage the situation, stepping forward, "Viper, I-"

Viper moved back a bit, making Crane feel a slight twinge in his chest. She exhaled as calmly as she could, "I-It's okay. Let's just go…" she said quickly. And with that she slithered away from him, joining the others.

OOO

Viper was trailing in the back of the group. Being the one who _really didn't_ want to go, she tried to buy herself some time. She made occasional awkward eye contact with the Crane in front of her. After the third eye lock, she kept her eyes glued to the ground. Viper tried not to think about what happened between them; Mantis probably misconstrued the situation. The tension of the scene wasn't Crane's fault, and she hoped that he knew that. She didn't want him go blaming himself for making her feel _extremely_ uncomfortable.

"Now…" Shifu's voice made Viper look back up. They were on ground level now. The lanterns from the village festivities shone through from behind her Master; so many animals… "Remember you five, no alcohol-based drinks and no rough housing. We are here to have a good time, but you all still need to stay in good health for future training."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Monkey said, making and annoyed hand motion, "Can we go now?" he asked, eager to explore the village. Mantis nodding excitedly from his shoulder.

Shifu frowned from the informality but brushed it off. He sighed, "Go ahead…" he said, waving them off. And one by one, the teens ran off into the village. Well, three of them ran. Viper and Crane were somewhat lagging behind for different reasons.

Crane wanted to apologize to Viper for what happened back at the barracks, so he stayed close.

Viper's heart rate began to beat at an increasing rate the further she got into the village. So many animals…

"Are those the Jade Palace's new students?"

"Yeah, I think they are?"

"They're all so _different_ …"

"They haven't really been in the village. They've been here a few times, but they never speak to anyone."

 **"** **I've never seen the snake before…"**

The blood began to drain from her face and her breathing got no better. The village was starting to get blurry and her head felt as light as a feather. She placed her tail on her chest, trying to calm her beating heart, but with no success—if anything, it got worse. She felt dizzy. Looking around her, trying to find someplace to hide, but at this point, she could barely see anything.

Crane noticed that Viper wasn't behind him anymore. He turned around and saw her standing still in the middle of the walkway. He rose an eyebrow and flew over to her. Landing in front of her he called her name. She didn't react. Crane moved closer to her, "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. Viper looked really pale, and she was breathing really fast. He looked closer and noticed that her eyes were beginning to water. What's wrong?

"H-huh?" Viper finally noticed him and her eyes went wide. Who is this white blur? Whoever they are, she can't let them know how uncomfortable she is. With the little energy she had, she flashed the smile she was practicing and chuckled nervously, "Oh-oh yes! Of course, I'm...fine!" Her eyelids started to get heavy, and she felt herself lose control of her body, "N-no... need...to...worrrryyyy..." And then her world went black.

Crane quickly reached his wings out, catching Viper before she hit the ground. He held her body in his wings, "V-Viper?" he asked. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing…What just happened?! She-she fainted! _"Oh my gosh! She fainted! What do I do?!"_ he panicked mentally. He couldn't just stand there holding Viper's unconscious body; villagers were starting to stare…

He slapped himself out of his panicky state and took initiative. He found Master Shifu near the entrance of the village and quickly went over to him, "Master! Master Shifu!" he called.

Shifu looked up to see Crane running over to him, "Yes Crane, what is it?" he then saw Viper in his wings, "Oh my goodness! What happened?!" Shifu let's them out of his sights for _3 minutes_ and one of his students is already unconscious?!

Crane struggled with his words, "I don't know, Master," Crane said, "She just fainted…"

Shifu tugged on his ears. He needed to help Viper, but was it wise to leave the other students unsupervised? He exhaled. Viper needed help… "Crane, follow me. We'll bring her to the barracks."

After getting Viper in her bed, placing a warm towel on her head, and filling the room with a scent of vanilla, Crane set himself down next to her. He stared intensely at her chest, making sure she was still breathing at a normal rate. He then stared at _his_ chest, to make sure _he_ was breathing at a normal rate…he wasn't. His heart was thumping, as if begging to break through his chest.

What is _wrong_ with him?

OOO

Viper suddenly began to stir, groaning quietly. Her vision was a blur and there was a weight on her forehead. What just happened? Where was she? She blinked multiple times, in an attempt to clear her vision, and sat up. She was in her bed? But h-OW! Placing her tail on her head, she gently massaged it after feeling a shock of pain from getting up so quickly. Okay, so she won't do _that_ again. The weight on her forehead disappeared all of a sudden. She looked down at her lap and realized that it was a _towel_? She moved the slightly wettened towel on her side table. Who put this on her head?

 _Maybe it was the dead bird lying on your bed…_

Her brain urged her to look further up her bed, and she finally noticed the _sleeping_ Crane who had been laying there. Why is he in her room?! Especially after what happened before they left. She blushed at _that_ memory. Not wanting to be in her room anymore and she carefully uncurled herself from under the covers. She wouldn't wake him up if she just-

"Viper…?"

She was wrong! She was wrong! She was _so_ wrong!

Crane slowly lift his head, fully awake now, and he smiled, "Thank Gods, you're okay…" he sighed.

Viper nodded slowly, "Uhm…yeah…" she put her tail on her head once more when the pain began to spread to the front of her brain, "Why am I here?" The bird lifts up a glass of water from the floor and placed it carefully in her tail, "Thank you…" she said quietly, taking a few sips.

"While we were in the village…you just fainted," Crane explained while she was drinking, "Shifu and I brought you here, and here we are." He took back the now empty glass and put it back on the floor.

Viper wiped her lips and stared at Crane with a confused look, "So…why are _you_ here?" she asked, genuinely curious, "You know...you don't have to stay here…" she said. She was used to being alone whenever things like this happen to her.

She sounded sad… Crane chuckled nervously, "Ah, oh-oh no. It's perfectly fine! I wasn't planning to do anything at the festival anyway! I was actually thinking of ditching, so this actually eases my plan! N-not that you passing out was a good thing or anything! I..." What is he even saying at this point? "Oh geez, I-I'm sorry…" Why is he acting like such an idiot? Was he nervous? Why is he nervous?!

Suddenly, Crane heard giggling. He looked back at the snake. Viper was giggling? "Th-thank you…" she said, giving him a small smile.

 _"_ _Oh geez..."_ Crane thought, blushing, _"…I made her smile."_

Viper didn't know why she said that. Maybe it was because he was her only friend here. Was he even a _friend_ yet? She only talks to him when she needs to. She doesn't even know much about him. She cleared her throat to regain his attention, "So…do I have to stay in bed?" she asked.

"Yeah. Shifu said for you to stay and rest." Crane replied, leaning his head on his wing which was propped up on the bed, "Feeling better, by the way?"

Viper nodded, "Yeah. I mean, the room isn't spinning anymore."

"That's a good sign."

"I guess…"

This got awkward _real_ fast… Crane didn't know what to say. He _wanted_ to talk with her but had no idea how to speak with pretty girls. He exhaled, trying to relax his mind. Ever since he came into her room earlier, he couldn't stop thinking about how pretty she is. She is indeed a strong woman, but one thing he didn't consider was that she is a _woman_. An animal of the female gender. A pretty one too. There was something about her that made his mind race, "Hey, uh, about what happened earlier tonight…"

"The 'checking-me-out' incident?" Viper asked, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Mantis misunderstood the situation."

Crane sighed. "N-no. He didn't. I-I guess I might have _actually_ been…checking you out." He looked away from her in embarrassment, "I just…I wanted to come clean after what just happened." She wasn't saying anything, so Crane decided to continue… "Perhaps it was out of curiosity? I don't know; there aren't that many snakes where I come from, so maybe _that_ had something to do with it. But after seeing you in your room I just thought…you look really beautiful~ And I never noticed it until tonight…" He saw a look on Viper's face. He didn't know what it meant, but judging by her agape mouth, he probably said something wrong… "Ah! Well, when we first met, I _did_ think you were pretty. I'm not saying that I've only begun to notice your attractiveness, because you've _always_ been attractive to me. And not just attractive physically, but your personality is beautiful as well! You were so nice to me when I first came to the Palace!" Silence. "Please say something? I'm getting really nervous here!"

This.

Boi.

If Viper still had water, she would have spit it out just then. Blush was seeping throughout her entire body at this point. She didn't know whether she should thank him or kiss him. Well, they were both signs of gratitude, so perhaps he'd enjoy either one. Not that she would actually _do_ either one… "I-I don't really know what to say…" she let out a small awkward chuckle, "No one has ever complimented me like _that_ before." She played around with one of her lotus flowers out of nervousness.

 _Cute~_

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." Crane said, trying to salvage the situation.

But Viper shook her head. "No, no, no, it's fine." She blushed and smiled at him reassuringly, "You're really sweet~"

"Thanks…"

Well, who knew _awkward_ could happen more than once? Although, this time Viper broke the ice, "What's the _real_ reason why you wanted to stay with me?" she asked, "And don't give me that _it-was-the-right-thing-to-do_ crap." She knew that Crane wouldn't have stayed if he had no reason. He also seemed excited to go when Shifu announced they were allowed to go.

"I was worried for you." Crane said straight up, without hesitation, "You seemed really nervous when Shifu announced that we were going to the festival, and you left the courtyard in a hurry after you spoke with him and Oogway."

 _He saw her leave?_

"And then the 'checking-you-out' incident happened, and I got even _more_ worried and…yeah." He looked away from her, "Here we are…"

Viper started to laugh quietly and tried to hide her face with her blanket, "Gods, you're so nice to me." She said, shyly, "Why are you so nice to me? No one is ever this nice to me. You've only gotten to know me for a month…"

Crane smiled at the embarrassed reptile. He got on the bed and gently pulled the blanket down to reveal her face. He blushed at her beautiful expression of happiness. Smiling wider, he adjusted one of her flowers on her head, "Um…heh." He said, dropping the blanket, "Well…you _were_ the nice one first. Let's just say I'm evening the score~" he winked and grazed her cheek with one of his wings, "Also…I think it's about time you get treated the way you deserve to be."

Viper chuckled softly, blushing slightly at the physical contact—not that she minded, "You are officially one of my favourite animals in the world~"

Crane scoffed and traced the rim of his hat, "Pft, yeah. I'm pretty amazing aren't I~?"

"Demoted."

OOO

The two students continued to talk throughout the night, unaware and not really caring about how late it was getting. Eventually, it got to the point where the two of them could barely keep their eyes open. They tried to fight against it… _buuuuut_ fate had other plans.

Crane woke up on the floor, resting his head on the edge of Viper's bed. An orange-yellow glow began to engulf the room—it was the morning? He fell asleep in Viper's room?! He looked at the bed to see Viper's face lying right next to his. They must've fallen asleep while talking to each other. His eyes rested on Viper's face. The sunlight illuminated her features, giving them their nice glow that he couldn't see at night. He realized he was 'checking her out' again, but he didn't stop himself this time. He smiled to himself as he observed her with content. She looked peaceful.

Her eyes started to flutter, and a quiet groan left her mouth. Crane blushed and made eye contact with her, "Morning Vi." He said, lifting his face away from hers.

Viper rose an eyebrow, "'Vi'?" she repeated, "Are we at the 'nickname' level in our friendship already?"

Crane blushed even more and waved his wings wildly in front of his face, "Ah! N-no! Sorry! It just came out!" he exclaimed in a whisper.

Viper giggled, "You've got to stop apologizing for little things like this!" she whis-claimed back, "I-I actually really like that nickname; it's cute~!" she smiled and sat up as well.

Crane tilted his head to the side, "Really?"

Viper nodded.

"Oh. Well…alright. If you like it," he smiled up at her with confidence, "…I guess that's all that matters, Vi~"

Suddenly, the morning gong rung. One by one, they heard the other students open their doors and greet Shifu, "Good morning, Master." Everyone sounded tired—it must have been quite a night.

"Where is Crane and Viper?"

 _Shoot_. How is Crane supposed to sneak out?! He was about to start panicking to Viper, but she had something else in mind. She slithered out of bed and opened her door, revealing the both of them to everyone in the hall, "Good morning, Master." She said simply. She turned to Crane, motioning for him to come beside her.

He stood in the doorway with her and gave Shifu a small wave, "Good morning, Master…"

Shifu just stared at them. The others also were in shock. After about a minute, Shifu snapped out of his frozen state, "Uh…Viper, how are you feeling?" he asked, "Are you able to join us in training today?"

Viper nodded, "Of course, Master. I just took a small fall, is all. Crane kept me company all night, and I feel a lot better now!" she said, looking up at him, "Thank you again, Crane." She bowed her head.

Crane blushed at how relaxed she was. This girl is amazing! He nodded at her curtly, "N-no problem, Vi…" he said, lovingly.

"Vi?!" The students exclaimed.

"Geez, you guys must have done _some_ bonding while we were at the festival!" Mantis exclaimed.

"Since when were we allowed to call each other nicknames?! I already had one for each of you when we first met!" Monkey joined in the commotion.

Tigress just leaned in close to Shifu—his eye was twitching, and his face looked traumatized, "I can spar with Viper today, Master…." She whispered, eyeing Crane, suspiciously.

OOO

Shifu began walking them to the training hall; Viper and Crane took up the back. Viper giggled in amusement at everyone's reactions earlier. She touched Crane's wing, gaining his attention, "Guess I'm the only one who likes the nickname, huh?" she said, recomposing herself.

Crane smiled, "Well, _I_ like you, Vi~"

Viper blushed, "The-the nickname?"

 _Oh shoot_. He just realized what he said. He became flustered and started to fidget nervously, "Ah, um, yeah, yeah, yeah. Why? Did I…did I say something else?" he played it off.

Viper rolled her eyes and chuckled at his cute reaction, "No. You said you liked the nickname."

"Okay. Alright. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool…." Crane sighed in relief. How did he slip up like that? She made him so nervous. But why? He never felt this way before. It's because she's a snake. No, he's used that excuse too much at this point. No, there had to be something else. Maybe it's because she's nice to him and appreciates him. And that she's… _really prettyyyy…_ No, that sounds like Mei Ling…

But Viper is different! Not only is she kind, she's always there whenever he needs her. Even though she's injured and shy, she always puts the needs of others before her own. She is strong in her own way. She is so much more than animals think of her. And it's like he and her have a connection. After all, she _is_ his first friend here! And with both of their noticeable lack-of-social-ability, you'd think they'd be the last one's to connect. Viper is so beautiful. Not just as a beautiful woman, but she has an even more beautiful heart. And…she is _so much more_ than Mei Ling.

Crane thought back to his first thoughts when he first arrived:

 _"_ _I doubt anyone here could be better than Mei Ling…"_

He looked over at Viper. He has only known her for a short period of time, but his heart beat increased much more around her than ever before. He was wrong: There _is_ someone better than Mei Ling.

"Hey, Crane?" Viper noticed he was staring at her again, "You wanna spar?"

Crane blinked and saw that they had arrived in the courtyard. He looked Viper up and down, "Y-yes. Of course, Vi."

Viper smiled, "Alright, now you're just throwing the nickname around like _no one's_ business."

Maybe the way he's feeling isn't just because she's a snake.

And maybe…what he said _wasn't_ a slip-up.

Maybe he _did_ like her.

OOO

 _ **BONUS MENTALLY PANICKING SHIFU**_ **...coming soon maybe?**

 **Guess who's back with a hella long chapter for y'all?!**

 **Yes! I am now on vacation and I have time to update. (I'll be** ** _trying_** **to update weekly, maybe? Keyword 'try').**

 **So, yeah. This is when Crane first realized he** ** _really_** **liked Viper. This wasn't from a prompt. This is actually an idea I had started to write a while ago for** ** _another_** **one-shot series I had planned for their early days, but it seemed more appropriate to put here. Ending is sub par as per usual.**

 **I also thought you deserve a good one after being deprived for, like, two weeks. (Life hits you hard bro).**

 **If there are any typos...sorry.** **I tried to get this up as early as I could before everyone assumes I died.**

 **Anyways! Welcome back me, and I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Til next time!**

 **-V~**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Tigress x Po if you squint ;)**_

 **116\. Help**

Po was running around like a lunatic. He was on a frantic search for a certain reptile, but he couldn't find her anywhere! He looked in the training hall, the Jade Palace, the entire village, and he had practically flipped the barracks upside down. Running out of options, he decided to turn to the one animal in the Valley who might have an idea where Viper could be…

"Tigress!" he called from the entrance of the training hall. The master had been training there all morning, hoping to not get involved with the panda's antics. But, of course, that was just a fantasy, "I need your help!" He ran over to her, staying out of her hit-zone.

The tiger groaned and paused her sparring match against Crane, "Po, what is it? You've been running around for hours."

Po huffed, "At least I've been running…" He got himself back onto his main point, "Anyways, do you know where Viper is? I need to talk with her."

Tigress shrugged in annoyance, "How am _I_ supposed to know?!"

"Aren't you her best friend?"

"Well, yes." Tigress blushed from being retorted to by Po. But she quickly thought of a comeback, "But I don't keep tabs on her 24/7." Viper is her own woman. And, even though they talk about many things they don't discuss with the others, they still have to respect each other's privacy.

Suddenly, Crane stepped into the conversation, "Did you check her room?"

Po nodded with a feeling of defeat, "Yeah. She wasn't there."

"Did you check the kitchen?"

Po nodded, "Yes! She wasn't there either. I thought she would be making breakfast for herself since she wasn't awake when we had ours."

"How about that ribbon shop in the village? Her favourite restaurant?" Crane continued, "The forest and the Sacred Peach Tree? She goes there when she wants to gather flowers for tea."

"She makes tea from flowers?" Po asked in shock.

"Yeah." Crane replied bluntly, "Now, did you look on the roofs? Oh, no. Never mind. The weather is too humid, and she usually goes there during the night. How about the stationary closet?" Crane's eyes widened, and he snapped his wings, "The archives! She goes there when she needs to hide and be alone."

Po smiled widely and jumped in excitement, "I haven't looked there yet! That's an awesome idea!" He gave Crane a punch on the shoulder, "Thanks man! Who knew you knew so much about Viper!" and with that, the black and white warrior dashed to the archives.

OOO

Tigress rose an eyebrow at the avian, who seemed to play it off as if what just happened was normal. "So, uh, where were we?" he asked Tigress, getting into a defensive position.

"How do you know so much about Viper?" Tigress asked, crossing her arms, " _I_ didn't even know she went to half of the places you listed." Does Viper share more with Crane than Tigress?

Crane blushed and got into a more casual pose, "I-I just know because… she tells me?" He said unsurely, "Well, I guess it's more because I _notice_ the amount of times she visits those places."

"How about the flower tea?"

"I thought everyone knew about that."

"Po didn't."

"He's new."

" _I_ didn't."

Crane hummed and placed a feather to his beak, "Hm, well, if _you_ didn't know, that probably means Monkey and Mantis don't know, which means…"

"…You were the only one who knew." Tigress finished. She clenched her fist with a slight of anger. How does Crane know these things? Was it because…? No. No, it couldn't be…

"Crane, do you still like Viper?"

OOO

"Viper!"

"V _iiiiiiiiiiiiii_ per!"

"VIPER!"

The sounds of Po's calls echoed through the caverns as he searched the halls for Viper. The archives were _huge_! How would he be able to find her? A scent suddenly came into Po's nose vision…was it—he sniffed the air—chamomile? He could also smell a hint of mint and honey. He doesn't remember there being air fresheners in the archives…

The panda followed the scent through the halls which led him to the main library. He continued to follow the scent and it revealed itself to be "Tea?" he asked himself, "Why is there tea here?" He then heard someone humming… He looked around and gasped when he saw the animal he was looking for, "Viper!"

Viper was peacefully scrolling through one of the high shelves. But when Po called out to her, she became so startled that she ended up falling down, on to a pile of old, dusty scrolls. "Ow…"

Po rushed over to help his friend, "Oh my gosh! So sorry, Viper!" he exclaimed, helping her out of the ancient texts.

Viper coughed a few times to try and get the dust from out of her _lungs,_ but she shook her head and smiled, "It's fine, Po." She wheezed, slithering out of the pile, "But what are you doing here?" She went over to her tea set while rubbing her eyes.

Po sat himself down across from her, "I need your help." He said, smiling. He then dug into his pocket and got out a folded piece of paper, "I-I wrote this for _you-know-who_ , and I want your opinion on it!"

Viper rose an eyebrow and hesitantly took it from his paws. She carefully unfolded it and began to read. She already knew who it was for. No matter _how many times_ Viper told him that Tigress doesn't need anything elaborate, he went and wrote her a whole damn love letter. Although, she found the gesture to be quite sweet. It made her smile to see how much Po cared for the Tiger.

She began to get more relaxed and she decided to take a sip of her tea while she finished up the last of the letter. Everything he had written was truly him pouring his feelings onto the page.

 _"_ _I just wanted to say that…_

 _…_ _I love you."_

Viper's eyes went wide, and she spit out some of her tea to the side. _"Wha-wha-wha-what?!"_ She thought, reading over the last sentence…over and over and over again.

Po jumped up at her reaction and leaned over the table in worry, "What?! Was it bad?!" he exclaimed, "Should I rip it up and burn it on the stove? I was planning to do that anyways!"

Viper looked up from the letter, "No, no, no, no, no! Don't do that! The letter is great! It's-it's perfect!" she said quickly, before Po did something rash. She blushed and looked at the sentence again—specifically those three words, "It's just…you said 'I love you'…" she pointed to the last sentence and handed it back to Po.

He looked at it and gave her a confused look, "What's so wrong with it?" he asked while she wiped her mouth, "I thought I'd just go all the way if I was gonna do it."

"Yes, I completely agree!" the reptile said, "Sorry; my reaction must've been misleading." She poured some more tea into her cup. She exhaled and wrapped her tail around the cup tightly for comfort, "I just have…weird memories with those words." She chuckled nervously, "Sorry! I-I _really_ like the letter a lot though, Po! It's really well written."

Po smiled and blushed at her compliments, "Thanks Viper! Do you think she'll like it?" He hugged the letter close to his heart.

Viper sipped her tea and nodded, "I'm sure she would, but I told you that you don't have to give her anything elaborate."

"I _knooooow_ , but she deserves something special~" Po placed the paper on the table, smoothing it out, "Do you think I should add anything?"

Viper hummed and traced the rim of her teacup around in circles, "Well, there isn't much criticism I can give," she said, "I haven't written a love letter, nor have I received one."

"Really? _You_ haven't gotten a love letter? I thought _you_ out of all the Five would get the most." Po said, continuing to smooth out the letter, "You're really likeable and pretty."

Viper blushed and sipped out of nervousness, "Ah! Ha, ha, well…" she hesitated in what she was about to tell him. But she supposed since the rest of the Five know, she might as well tell Po. He is a part of their team after all, "…I've received _one_ , but I have never considered it as an actual—ahem—document of affection."

"Do you remember what any of it said? If you liked it, maybe I can take notes!" Po said, cheerfully.

Of course, Viper remembered the letter. It was the first love letter she received. It's in a box in her room somewhere. So, she didn't have to dig too deep to try and remember what it said, "Well, I liked the fact that they first wrote about when they fell for me. I feel like it's important to know that it wasn't just 'love at first sight.' I like knowing how long it took for them to realize they liked me." She smiled, and looked into her teacup, watching the tea swirl peacefully, "I liked how they described my personality before my appearance, because having a beautiful personality is more important than what's on the outside."

Po hummed and stared dreamily to the ceiling of the archives, "That sounds awesome…" he said, "Anything else?"

Viper sighed and nodded, "There is this one line they wrote that I _really_ loved…" She couldn't remember word-for-word, but it still meant a lot to her: " _I want you to know that someone cares for you—whether you accept them as a lover, or just as a friend. Because as long as I have you in my life, I'll be happy. You are amazing and_ …" Viper began to trail off. She couldn't finish it, "I can't remember the rest."

Po's smile couldn't get any wider. He knew that she remembered the rest. Or maybe it was too hard to remember _three more words._ He didn't want to pry too much though, she has already told him plenty, "Thank you, Viper." He had _one_ more question that would seal the deal, "Is there anything you wish they would have done differently?"

Viper's smile faded. She felt her heart begin to palpitate at an abnormal speed, creating a stinging pain in her chest. She took one last sip of her tea and looked Po directly in the eyes. She gave him a small smile, "I wish he would have told me himself."

OOO

Po and Viper started walking back to the barracks. Po was carrying her teapot and teacup as an action of gratitude for her help. They were walking in silence for the most part, until Po broke the silence, "You know…I think I _will_ burn this letter on the stove."

Viper went wide eyed, "What?! Why?!" She exclaimed. Was it because of what she said? "Po, you shouldn't base your decision off of what I said. That's what _I_ would have wanted. You need to follow what you think _Tigress_ would want."

Po chuckled and shrugged, "I know, I know. But I'm making this choice on my own." He said, "But, you've inspired me to do something better than a letter…I'll tell her face-to-face." He smiled at the shocked reptile, "I want to do something that your admirer was too afraid to do." He smirked and started to walk with more _swagger_ , "Besides, it would show her how brave I am~"

"Yeah, it definitely would." Viper chuckled at her friend. She was proud of him for following his gut. Huh. Actually, now that she thought about it, what did his gut say when he tried to find her? "Wait, Po, how did you know I was in the archives?" Nobody knows that she goes there to be alone…

"Crane told me you might be there~!"

…except for Crane.

She blushed and smiled to herself, "Of course he told you." He seems to be the main man of her thoughts today.

OOO

 _ **Oof**_ **, slight Tigress x Po? Say less...**

 **There will** ** _probably, most likely_** **be a continuation of the conversation Tigress and crane were having.** **And there** ** _will_** **be a chapter focusing on Crane's love letter.**

 **Thanks** ** _fren_** **for the 'wow' review. hella cute~**

 **Have a nice day/night~!**

 **-V**


	8. Chapter 8

**249\. Rare**

There have been men who have tried to get her.

Of course, they never got her.

She has turned down every man who wanted her, and every man her father had set up with her. All these men wanted her, but they didn't even know her. Every man who "loved" her was like that. And that's why she never wanted to fall in love. She was afraid that whoever she fell for was going to be just like everyone else: a selfish jerk.

For Viper, the rare chance of her finding love is 1 out of 1000.

At least…that's what she _used_ to think.

When she fought with the Five for the first time, she was cautious of the males at first. But she noticed that they were different. Even after they found out the Great Master Viper was her father, and they didn't try to get her. They tried to get to _know_ her. They tried to befriend her. Her team is what helped her believe that there were still those rare animals out there who would _want_ to know her before they try to court her.

Viper didn't want to fall in love. Then, she decided to give love another chance. And now, she was trying to figure out how love worked.

 _"_ _I want you to know that someone cares for you—whether you accept them as a lover, or just as a friend."_

She began to feel feelings she had never felt before. She's felt them ever since the Lotus Festival. Ever since Crane helped her and stayed with her throughout the night. Was this feeling _love_? No. It couldn't be. They had only known each other for a month.

So, Viper pushed those feelings aside. Perhaps she felt overly happy because someone cared for her.

A year passed, and Viper's relationship with her team began to expand to more than just Crane. She became more outgoing and formed close friendships with every one of the Five.

And then, she felt the feelings again.

 _"_ _Because as long as I still have you in my life, I'll be happy."_

This time, it was when Crane asked if she wanted to eat lunch in the village with him. And _only_ him. This gesture made her stomach do flips, and her heart was a flutter. She felt like this _before_ they even got to the restaurant! Was _that_ feeling _love_? No. He just invited her to be nice.

So, Viper pushed _those_ feelings aside. She was probably surprised at his sudden invitation.

Viper kept pushing them aside. And pushing and pushing. These types of feelings kept reappearing for a long time. She and Crane grew to be closer to each other more than they realized. But this wasn't love. No. It couldn't be.

All those times she blushed whenever he was near her. All those giddy feelings she got when he smiled at her. The worry she had whenever he got hurt. The laughter shared between them. All these feelings are _not_ love. They couldn't be.

 _"_ _You are the best thing to have ever happened to me and…"_

This turmoil continued until year four of their training. Viper was getting ready for the Lotus Festival. But when she went into her room, she found a mysterious scroll laying on her bed.

OOO

"V-Vi?" Crane knocked while slowly peeking his head into the room, "Shifu asked me to get everyone. Are you ready?"

Viper's eyes were stuck on the scroll—specifically the ending. Suddenly, all the feelings she has been pushing aside for years came down onto her like an overflowing dam. She didn't want to fall in love _so_ much, that in this process, she never found out what love _actually_ was. And, little did she know, she had been in it for the longest time.

"Vi?" She felt something soft on her back. She looked to her side to see Crane standing there with a look of concern, "Are you okay? You wanna call in sick?"

Viper looked back down at the scroll then back up at the avian, "Um…n-no. S-sorry…" She rolled up the letter and placed it back on her bed. She took a deep breath and turned around, making a full 360 in front of Crane, "How do I look~? Presentable?"

Crane just stared at her with the biggest grin on his face, "No…You look _beautiful~_ " He slid her door open for her and bowed playfully, "Shall we go~?"

Viper blushed at his compliment, "Uh-um, y-yeah." She slithered out and they went to the festival together as they did five years ago.

OOO

There was no name signed at the bottom of the love letter, but there didn't have to be.

For Viper, the rare chance of her finding love is 1 out of 1000.

As fate had it, turns out _Crane_ is that rare 1.

It took five years for her to realize she was in love with her teammate. Her friend.

But now that she knows, what was Viper to do with it?

OOO

 **Short chapter after two long ones.**

 **So, Viper realized she liked Crane, like, 5 years later.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Camp Camp is a good series.**

 **-V**


	9. Chapter 9 - uhread the AN

**_*See the end for…an explanation of how this was created. (This is not a suggestion, just do it please…)*_**

 **The Return**

The two Masters remained silent while flying back to their home. Viper wrapped herself close around Crane's neck, yearning for more warmth. The winds were cold at night, and the altitude they were flying at did not serve in their favour. Shivering, she embraced the male avian further, causing a light blush to arise on his face. He cleared his throat to drown out the heat, "Sorry. Are you cold? I can fly a bit lower," he offered the cold-blooded reptile, "It's just that the currents are stronger and faster up here."

Viper shook her head, "N-no, I'll be fine. A-as long we get h-home quick…" she stuttered in determination. Wanting to go home after a tiring "vacation" was what was pushing her to stay strong on this cold, cold, cold, _cold_ night.

Crane sighed, "Love, I don't want you getting sick," he said, "I'll lower myself a little bit, alright?"

Viper blushed, "O-okay…" She held on tight as Crane dipped down underneath the clouds. The views of forest and fields appeared from down below and Viper felt warmer already. She hummed and nuzzled Crane's neck as a 'thank you.'

"Ah…" Crane let out a small noise that he didn't know he could make. The feeling of her snuggling his neck, triggered something that he felt when they slept together. He looked down at Viper and smiled, "Better?" he asked.

Viper nodded, "Yeah…"

"Something on your mind?"

She hesitated, but decided to tell him, "M-my parents…"

Crane sighed, "Chun, we've talked about this…"

"Yeah, but we're…together _now_ , aren't we?" she said, resting her head on his back, "Shouldn't we have told them? Father wouldn't have married me off if he knew-"

"That we lied to him the entire time we were there?" Crane finished. He felt Viper tense around him and he realized he may have upset her. Taking a deep breath, he flipped himself around, placing Viper on his chest and began flying backwards. He wanted to look at her, "Look, you said it yourself, this is the best thing to do. What if he didn't accept me after he found out we lied? What if he married you off anyways?" Crane pouted and looked away, "I-I don't want you marrying someone you don't love…"

Viper smiled softly and placed a small kiss on the tip of his beak. He looked at her, "Thank you, Jiang." She said, "But it doesn't keep me from feeling bad…"

"Chun, you're doing this for you." Crane said, "You have the right to choose who you want to marry—who you want to _love_. You don't need to feel bad for living your own life." He blushed and struggled to say what he wanted to say next, but he came through eventually, "I also don't want you to regret being with me. So, don't feel bad."

Viper's smile only grew, "You're right." She said, "I-I'm doing this for me—for us!" she proclaimed, loudly, "I'm allowed to love who I want!" She then kissed Crane. He immediately responded, kissing her back excitedly. They separated after a few seconds and Viper leaned her head onto his beak, "And I choose to love you~" she said softly.

Crane smirked, "Calm down there, babe…" he said, "We might crash if you keep this up~"

Viper simply smirked back, "Well, perhaps you should stay focused on our flight path~"

"I am always focused. I'm offended you'd think otherwise, love."

"Oh really?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Prove it~!" Viper pulled his face towards hers, smacking his beak back onto her lips, kissing him passionately. She moved her tail up and down his neck, making him shiver in pleasure. He kissed back with an equal amount of passion, but a bit more force. He couldn't succumb to Viper's beautiful charms so quickly, but he didn't know what to do to make _her_ unhinged. Without any other option, he parted her lips and snuck his tongue into her mouth.

"Mm!" Viper should have seen that coming. She supressed a moan and fought for dominance…

"Hey! Move outta the way, weirdo!"

Viper's eyes opened quickly and she saw a messenger goose flying towards them. She gasped, allowing Crane to win, but it didn't last long seeing as Viper detached herself from him, "Jiang! Watch out!"

Crane looked behind him seeing the goose, "Woah!" he swiftly tucked in his wings, _just_ dodging the messenger. His hat flew off of his head, but Viper quickly caught it mid-fall.

"Eyes in the skies!" the goose yelled at them.

"Sorry sir!" Viper apologized, "We'll be more careful!"

The goose went wide-eyed, as if just noticing she was there. He looked at Viper, then back at Crane. His annoyed face turned into an angry glare, "Interspecies _freaks_! Get a room or get out of China!" And with that, he flew away.

Viper and Crane were left frozen in the sky, "Did…did he just call us…?"

Crane was flying in place. He looked at Viper and she looked back at him. Her eyes were filled with shock and hurt. She looked like she wanted to say something but it got caught in her throat.

"Chun…" he nudged the side of her head, "…are you okay?"

Viper bit her bottom lip, "I-I'm fine…it's just…" her voice broke a bit. She was trying to hold back tears, "I-I-I just realized…" she wiped her eyes, and Crane felt a _pang_ in his heart, "…wh-what are we gonna do when we get back?"

Crane blinked, "What do you mean, love?"

She tensed up, "Our relationship—what's going to happen to us?" Tears began to roll down her cheeks, "If-if _he_ didn't accept us _at first glance_ , how will everyone in the Valley react? How will Master Shifu and our friends react?!"

Crane shushed her and hugged her close with his head, "Chun-"

"Should we…keep it secret?" Viper burst out, "Un-until we're positive they will accept us?"

Crane blinked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. _More secrets_? "A-a secret?" he repeated, "Babe, I see what you mean, but I-I don't know if I can be able to keep up any more lies…" Their relationship just started…

Viper sniffed, "I know, I know…I don't know if I'll be able to keep it a secret either." She nuzzled his head, "But…I'm scared. Our relationship just started; I don't want it to end just because animals can't accept us…"

Crane sighed, "You…you have a good point." He moved back from their hug, "You're right. Waiting for the right moment to tell everyone is a good idea." He kissed her cheek, "We can do this. Together~"

Viper blushed and nodded confidently, "Right. Together." She gave him one of her heartwarming smiles, making Crane melt inside.

"You're so cute, Chun…" he said, pink tint dusting his cheeks.

"J-Jiang…" Viper turned red and put Crane's hat on her head, covering her face in embarrassment.

This only allowed Crane to tease her further, "Wow… _Too_ cute~!"

She giggled and lift his hat above her eyes, "Shall we continue our journey back home~?" she asked, smirking while tracing the rim of his hat with her tail.

Crane smirked and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, "Yes, we shall~" Crane began to assume his flying position and the two continued their return trip.

Viper sighed, prompting Crane to acknowledge her, "Chun? You doing alright, love?"

"Yeah, but I've been thinking…" she removed Crane's hat from her head, "We should…start calling each other by our… _formal_ names now." she placed the hat back on his head and smiled, booping his beak, "Seeing as our relationship is going to be a secret, we should probably refrain from the informalities to avoid suspicion."

"Way to be _really_ formal, love." Crane teased with a smile, "But you're right. If this is going to happen, we're going to have to keep it lowkey."

Viper nodded, "Yes. It's like we went and we came back. Like…" her excitement faded, "…like nothing happened."

"Hey, being your fake husband has got to be the best mission I've ever been assigned," Crane said, "Being your real secret boyfriend will be a piece of cake compared to that." He looked down at her and smiled, "I love you, _Master Viper_ ~"

Viper smiled back and placed her face in front of his, "I love you too, _Master Crane~_ "

The couple kissed as the sun began to rise. When they separated, Crane looked past the reptilian beauty and sighed, "There it is…" Viper turned her head around as well and gave Crane a comforting smile, "Home." But now…a few things have changed that will make their lives _slightly_ more difficult…

OOO

 **Alright, imma be real, I did** ** _not_** **have enough time to finish the chapter I wanted to post today.**

 **This is an old page I wrote based off of** ** _ArsenalReal14_** **'s "** ** _I Now Pronounce You Crane And Viper_** **." Hopefully all you guys have read this before. If not…you should; it's really good.**

 **Anyways, this is something I wrote based on Crane and Viper's return from her village.**

 **Sorry for the hella short-short chapter dudes. Next week, I gotchu~**

 **Much luvs, have a good night/day!**

 **-V**


	10. Chapter 10 - guess who

**S1. Beautiful**

Viper had always been interested in paintings and drawings and sketches; art in general, really. She did some painting in her spare time as a child, but she had never been or seen any professional works from outside artists since there weren't that many in her village anyways.

So, when Shifu said that they were going to go to an art gallery on one of their days off she was initially shocked at first, because...it's Shifu. But then she became immediately excited when she realized that he wasn't lying.

She and Crane, actually.

Which made sense, considering that Crane, unlike Viper, _still_ continues to paint in his spare time. She had always admired that talent of his. His talent in kung fu is always very impressive, but the fact that he masters in something as calm and flowing as painting is an interesting contrast.

He normally just rolls up his pieces and keeps them under his floorboards. Sure, they come out whenever the team is donating to charity, or if they need to make a few extra yen, but other than that, they stay hidden. It is always a shame Viper is too embarrassed to ask for one to hang in her room. His paintings are always very beautiful.

"What are you thinking about?"

Viper blinked and snapped out of her mental rambling. She looked to her left where the spoken of Crane was trying to get her attention.

The team had been walking to the gallery for a while. The Yuan Chu gallery is quite a ways way from the Valley of Peace, and yet it is the closest gallery in the area. Although, no one was complaining. A free day is a free day.

Viper and Crane were walking in the back of the group, which didn't surprise Viper. She had began to notice how she and Crane were always beside each other during these labouring group walking missions. Perhaps it was their shared awkwardness with the group back when they were kids.

She smiled, "Why are you asking?" She said, directing all her attention to her "walking buddy".

Crane shrugged, "You had that look you get in your eye whenever you think vividly." He paused, "Also, that smile of yours."

Viper blushed and looked at the ground, "I suppose you've caught me." She said, a bit embarrassed for some reason, "I-I'm just thinking about how excited you must be to be going to the gallery." She explained, "You know, seeing as you...paint."

Crane chuckled and nodded his head, "Yes, I guess I'm pretty excited. I mean, it's a free day. But I've been to a few galleries before." He said, rubbing the back of his neck, "And while I do take inspiration from the art, I don't really see the point of them." He then turned back to the reptile, "How about you? You like art?"

Viper rolled her eyes and smiled at his silly phrasing, "You may be shocked to hear that I am overjoyed that we're going to the gallery." She noticed Crane's eyes widen. "I don't know. I've never really gone to one before so I can't really say how much I love or hate it. I'm just... excited I finally get to see what it's all about."

The avian felt kind of bad for almost immediately crushing her hopes before even getting to Yuan Chu. She just seems like the type of animal to go to an art gallery. Heck, she's the type of the animal that belongs in an art gallery. She's so artistic in her own way — with her words, and her flowing movements... He just couldn't believe that she'd never been to one... "Sorry, I didn't mean to rain on your parade there."

"Please, Crane." Viper smiled that sunshine-brighten-up-your-day-smile, "You of everyone in the team should know that it'll take more than that to rain on this parade."

"Heh.." He blushed when Viper flashed him those sly eyes that always got him unhinged, "Yeah, I know, Viper. I know..."

OOO

She could barely contain the gigantic smile that began to form on her face as the stairs to Yuan Chu came into view.

This aura seemed to seep to Crane as he began to smile once he saw her. He heard her squeal and, without any warning, she jumped on his back and wrapped herself around him. He tumbled a bit but quickly got his balance back, "Viper! What-?"

"Let's go, Crane!" She exclaimed, twisting so she made eye contact with him, her head, slightly lifting up his hat, "Please~?" She gave him her irresistible smile and her eyes were lit with that spark that no one could say no to.

He lifted them both off the ground and with a single flap of wings, he sent Viper and himself flying past the group and up towards the gallery, "We'll meet you there! See 'ya!" Crane spouted messily to the team and Shifu, and the last they saw of them was a blur.

"Yeah! Whoo!" Viper cheered, feeling the wind blow as Crane flew her through the entrance doors, leaving behind a gust of air to sweep through the crowd entering as well.

The duo landed gracefully in the lobby, but Viper jumped off before they even hit the ground. The building was beautiful. She hadn't even seen any of the art that is supposed to be displayed, but she knew that she didn't need to to be impressed. This building already reflected how beautiful the art could get. Art within art? It's art squared.

Viper just stood in the middle of the lobby, gazing at everything around her. Crane couldn't help but chuckle at her childlike nature. That was always a trait of hers that he admired. The ability to act so serious and restricted and also completely switch to giggly and unguarded is something he wishes he had. Although, there was nothing that could replace that look on her face; the look of absolute wonder.

He walked up to her and placed a wing around her back to return her to reality, "Hey." He nudged her a bit, only to be met with an airy 'yeaaahhh?', "Are you going to stand here all day, or are we going to actually look around?"

The reptile turned to look up at him, "Can we?" She asked like a child asking for permission to play outside.

This caused him to laugh and push her forward, "Of course! Go. Lead the way..."

She squealed again and slithered down one of the hallways, Crane following close behind her.

OOO

"Oh wow."

"Oh my."

"Crane! Come look at this!"

Crane and Viper had been walking through all the rooms, section by section, staring at each exhibit, with Viper, of course, dragging Crane through the place. His previous statement did still stand, he really did not see the point of art galleries. Sure, he did his own paintings and it did make him feel nice whenever anyone complimented them, but he would never get to hear them if they were just strung up on a wall. He'd rather animals say what they wanted to his face.

But...being here with Viper...it made experience more enjoyable than he expected. She did go through everything slowly, but she has such a beautiful way with words that surpassed any words of wisdom he has heard from even Shifu. She loves even the littlest things in life. From the tallest sculpture, to the tiniest stroke in a landscape.

"Look at this painting..."

Crane shot his attention back to the present, "What have you found now?" He asked catching up to Viper and looking up at the painting she chose to present to him. It was a strange one this time. There were so many colours that were painted as if falling from somewhere. It seemed to be painted on a scroll and was in a long rectangular frame that almost reached the ground. He looked to the small label in front of the painting to see what the heck this thing was named...

"'Rooftop Falling'?" He said aloud. What is up with all these strange names? Although, when he took another look at it, the painting did resemble bits and pieces of a building tumbling down...

"Wow..." Viper sighed and took it all in, "It's incredible."

Crane sighed, but with exasperation, "I-I...please. Explain." He said, tilting his head and looking down at his girl friend—woah, wait...—his _friend_ who is a _girl_.

The reptile giggled. He had been doing this all day: following her to a painting that caught her eye, trying to see something, not seeing anything, and then asking her to explain what she sees. "Look at those thousands of colours. It swallows you up like a storm." She started, "I'll be honest, I don't really see a rooftop falling apart...I thought it was a million pages falling from the sky."

Crane looked back at the painting and suddenly the bits of debris he saw earlier seemed to contort into smoother and flowing shapes.

"There are just so many colours. Blue, violet, lilac, green and teal and gold, pink and peach and scarlet, white, grey, red, amber, orange, and that yellow..." she continued, sighing again, "Doesn't that orangey-yellow over there give you the most warmest sensation?" She looked at Crane who was staring at the painting intensely, making her smile. This was her favourite part...when he tries. He tries to see what she sees.

Crane felt it. He felt a warm sensation throughout his body, but he wasn't sure if it came from that yellow Viper was talking about. He met her eyes again and she just smiled wider, "Everything shimmers so magnificently and..." one final sigh, "...you feel as if you can get carried away through the wind with them."

OOO

It seemed impossible to change Crane's perspective on anything. When he had a thought, he normally just sticks with it and nothing could change the way he sees it. But not Viper. She is somehow able to twist his view on everything he once knew. Every painting they go to she is able to meld his perspective so he sees the beautiful in each piece.

Suddenly a gasp is heard from beside him and once again the reptile sped off. Once he finally caught up Viper immediately said, "This one."

Crane looked at the painting she chose now. It was a cherry blossom tree. A...cherry blossom tree... A cherry...blossom...tree...? He couldn't see anything. It was just that. A small, ordinary painting of a cherry blossom tree. He turned to Viper, "'This one' what?" He asked, repeating her previous statement.

"This is one my favourite."

Crane's eye's widened. He stared at the panting then back to Viper, " _Really_?"

Viper giggled, " _Yes_. This one."

"This is your favourite? Out of all of the paintings we've seen, this is it?"

"...Yes."

Crane turned back to the painting, "Out of hundreds of paintings, your favourite painting is this piece of-?"

"Hey! What's wrong with it?" Viper narrowed her eyes at him. If she had arms, she would definitely be crossing them right now.

"Well..." Crane pretended to think for a bit before answering, "...it's a little bit boring." There was nothing interesting about it. They see cherry blossom trees everywhere. Well, technically they are either peach trees or cherry tree blossoms during the spring, but they do have similar features. What was so special about them? Heck, they have the peach tree of heavenly wisdom in front of the Jade Palace!

Viper just shook her head and smiled, "Then you must be ignoring the most important part of it." She stated simply, eyeing the painting she chose.

Crane nodded and stared at the painting again. Squinting, tilting his head, moving back, moving forward, trying to see if he's missing anything, trying to see if he could contort his own mind into changing his perspective.

It doesn't work.

It's still that same damn tree.

"Yeah, I don't see it." He said returning normally back to Viper's side, "Viper, we've been walking through the gallery all day past all of these grand, amazing paintings and portraits and statues of kings and important events and landscapes of China." He gestured around them.

Viper rose an eyebrow, "So...?"

Crane frowned at her casual response, "Sooo, you can choose _any one_ , and we're standing in front of a painting of an everyday thing."

Her eyes softened as she stared at the painting again, "It's beautiful, right?" She said airily.

The avian threw his head back and groaned, "No, it isn't." He strained, "It's plaaaaiiiinnn..." He admired how Viper could see beauty in even the simplest things, but this... This seemed too generous.

"Well, I suppose that means that I get to explain." She smiled and straightened her body as she prepared herself to defend this painting.

Crane smiled and rolled his eyes, "Here we go..." he mumbled to himself.

"Alright!" She said, excitedly gesturing to the small frame, "So, this is a painting of what?"

"It's a painting of a tree~" Crane replied, dramatizing the sentence more than needed.

Viper chuckled at his playfulness finally shining through, "That's right, that's right..." she said, "So, the artist has us looking at what?"

"A boring, everyday thing."

"Well, yes."

"And the point...?"

"Crane, the point is that things aren't just beautiful all on their own," she placed her tail around his neck, "Beautiful takes some reflection..." she paused to jump up on his back to make eye contact with him, "Beautiful means someone is able to make a connection." She said in almost a whisper, "Know what I mean?"

Her face was very close to his and Crane couldn't help but stare down at her lips very quickly. He blushed a little bit because that was most likely very obvious and he noticed Viper's face turn rosy as well. But she didn't let that stop her.

Viper coughed the blush away and turned back to painting, "For beautiful to happen...the beautiful has got to be seen..."

Crane kept his gaze on Viper as he stared deeply at her eyes. That million yen look in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile and sigh lovingly. The blush soon returned to his face but he could care less. There was no way to describe her. Well, perhaps there was, but if anyone had the words, it would be her. He hesitantly tore his eyes away from her before she noticed and took one last look at the painting.

'An ordinary day...' was the name of it, and Crane was finally making some kind of connection with the simple painting, "This painting reminds me of you."

Viper blinked and heat slowly crept back onto her face. He continued, rubbing the back of his neck, "Specifically...that shade of pink right there..." he pointed to a light pink on one of the petals flowing in the wind, "The colour of innocence and gentleness. It's...simple, familiar, and full of...feeling." The temptation overtook him and he looked back at Viper, who seemed to be burning. He chuckled and nudged her head, "And kind of cute, I guess."

The reptile scoffed and nudged him back, "Shut up!" She said playfully, laughing. Then she looked at the colour herself, readjusting herself on the avian.

Crane's eyes lingered on her for a little while longer.

OOO

"Hey, Viper...?" Crane caught her attention while the group was walking home. "You never told me why you liked that painting so much."

Viper blushed, embarrassed as she got reminded to that moment, "Well, part of it was because of the tree itself." She said, going back to her dream-like state, "It gave me so many memories of my life before coming to the Jade Palace and cherry blossom trees always give me feeling that life is going to be okay." She then chuckled to herself, "The other part was because I've always wanted to go to Japan to see them..." she sighed, "...and stand under a million of those beautiful petals."

Crane smiled, pleased with her signature phrasings, "Yeah...beautiful..." he trailed off, "The beautiful has got to be seen, huh?"

She hummed, "Yeah~"

They continued walking in silence, Crane stealing quick glances to the woman beside him. And he justified these actions with the repeated phrase:

"The beautiful has got to be seen."

That might not have been what she meant, but it worked in his favour.

OOO

 **oH mY gODsH i thought you died!**

 **yeah no sorry for the long hiatus guys. i kind of found myself falling out of the fandom and i ended up falling into more (like RWBY omg wHAT) but im back into the kfp my friends!**

 **i think i'll publish monthly (?) try not to trust me too much on this because the last time i said i'd update...oof. but i do think we can benefit from this considering when i was publishing weekly the writing suffered and i hated myself :"))**

 **so this shot is based off of the song "Beautiful" from the musical "Ordinary Days", great musical, would suggest to colleague or a friend. im trying to expand my prompts to more than just one word ones, so if you have any suggestions feel free to...suggest them.**

 **anyways, sorry for the long message, and sorry for the long wait. hope to see you in a month friends!**

 **have a good day/night depending on where you are in the world!**

 **-V**

 **P.S: shout out to RussianNormal for reviewing and PMing me! you are such a sweet bean! thank you again!**

 **(also, i've been having trouble with my bold and italics when posting, so...sorry for the lack of flair...)**


	11. Chapter 11

**S2. Porcelain Face**

Crane had spent most of his life being told who he should be. Whether it was a hotel owner, a janitor, a kung fu master. He has never made a decision on who he wants to be.

He does love what he does, and he's happy that he chose this path. He has met many friends, and all the experiences he has had have shaped him into...him. This is what he wants to do. But is it what he wants to be?

Whenever he tries to alter this life he has chose, even by a little bit, it gets thrown away, or altered in the way others want to see him.

Why was he even thinking of this so late into the night?

"Crane?"

The bird jumped slightly at the sudden voice, almost making a mistake on the canvas he was painting on. He turned his head and blushed, seeing that it was Viper who was at his door. She looked especially pretty at night, something about the light of the moon and the aura of the night that made him flustered beyond explanation. No one else could see her but him at the moment, and that's what made it so special. His beak went slightly agape but shook himself out of the trance she just put him under, "Uh, oh. H-hey Viper." He said, setting down his brush, "C-come in."

She nodded and closed the door, slithering into his room and coiling onto his sleeping mat, "Sorry if I'm bothering you. I didn't know who else to go to." She then swerved her head to get a better look at the painting, "What's this one?"

Crane looked at her then back at his painting. He didn't have much paint to work with since he hasn't gone out for colours in a while, so the canvas had splashes of blue and black. He shrugged and tried to see what he painted, "I don't really know." He admitted, "I just picked up the brush and started."

"What have you been thinking about?" She asked, looking up at him.

He sighed and continued to avoid eye contact with the woman, "Just...things."

Viper scoffed slightly and shoved his wing, "Crane, you know you can talk with me." She said, making him chuckle, "Come on, what's on your mind?"

Crane quickly glanced down at those irresistible eyes and caved, "I've just been wondering... why did you decide to become a master?" He asked, instead, "I mean, you had the choice to leave, why did you stay?"

The reptile blinked at the question but smiled and looked back at the painting in front of them, "If you want me to be honest-"

"I do."

"-I wanted to leave."

"What?" Crane looked at Viper with wide eyes. She wanted to leave? "Why?"

Viper shrugged, "I thought that there was no place here for me." She explained, "I spent most of my life sheltered and protected - I didn't want to disappoint anyone." She chuckled, "Heck, I feel like Shifu was already disappointed in me back then. The first thing he pointed out about me was that I had no limbs while he praised the rest of you guys."

Crane frowned. He had never thought about that before. "You know that isn't true, Viper." He reassured.

"Well...I suppose I know that now."

But Crane was still confused. "But...why did you stay? What made you stay?"

Viper continued to smile up at him, "You guys, of course." She said, "When we fought together, it was the first time I felt...like me." She inhaled, and Crane listened intensely, "After putting on a facade, a mask, a different face for years, I was finally able to just...be. And I think that's the most important thing."

"How?" Viper snapped back to Crane who still had a look of confusion on his face, "How did you know that this is who you were supposed to be?" he groaned and buried his face in his wings, "I've spent my life with a cardboard face - you could draw whatever you want on me, make me into anything and I'd go along with it. I can never draw who I want to be, Viper. How did you know that this is what you wanted to do? That this is who you wanted to become?"

He watched her. Her face remained gentle and comforting. She leaned her head on his side and gave him a soft look, "I didn't." She said simply, "I never knew, Crane."

He froze. "B-"

"But something I do know," Viper said, before he could say anything, "is that we change. You can become something, but that doesn't mean we will stay that way. We all make choices on how we want to end up, and then we make more choices after that, and choices after that; it's about thinking of a goal, a future, but within the moment." She hummed, "I guess, I wanted to become someone that others could rely on. I didn't want to be a burden anymore."

Crane and her shared a look and she smiled at him, "And look where I am now." Her eyes gleamed with kindness, "Who did you want to be when you joined the team, Crane?"

The avian paused. The entire world slowed. He began to process his thoughts. He had the choice. He could have stayed a janitor. He had the choice to turn back. No one had ever told him to become a master, he had a choice. Why did he stay? He looked down at the woman leaning against him. The light of the moon emphasized features of her that seemed nonexistent during the day. Here, her face resembled porcelain. So smooth, and could break at anytime. A facade...a mask...

"I-I...I wanted to become someone who wasn't afraid." He finally whispered, leaning in slightly towards Viper's face.

"Afraid of what?" Viper whispered back, playfully.

Crane smiled and brushed the side of her face with his wing, "Afraid of what others thought of me. I wanted to become a better version of myself, where I could be able to express everything within me and...I wouldn't care about anything else."

Viper smirked, "Well, I think you've accomplished that Master "Caw-Kaw.""

Crane pouted, "It's fun to say, alright..."

She giggled and booped his beak, "I'm just teasing! I'm happy you found what your motivation was."

Crane blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. His motivation... "I-I wouldn't have found it without you. Thank you, Viper. I needed this."

They both looked at the painting. Crane tilted his head as a new idea came to mind...

Viper yawned, startling Crane a bit, "The sun will be rising soon." She said, looking out the window, "We should at least get a bit of sleep before training tomorrow."

"O-oh, right." He said hesitantly moving away from her. He then furrowed his eyes and stopped her before she left, "Why are you awake right now anyways?"

She just flashed him one of her signature smiles, "Wouldn't you like to know...?" She giggled and opened the door, "See you in the morning, Crane."

"See you in the morning, Viper."

And with that, she closed the door behind her and his room was empty again.

Just him and the canvas.

He picked up the brush again, and began to paint using blue and white, finally out of the darkness.

Using the light of the moon and the feelings from deep within his chi, a painting of a porcelain face emerged from the parchment.

He sighed in exasperation, "What am I going to do?" He asked himself, aloud. He wants to be someone who is there for her. No. He still wants to be with her. She was the one who helped him realize that he shouldn't be afraid. And yet...

The sun began to rise and he continued to stare at that porcelain face.

 _"I think I'm still in love with you, and that scares the crap out of me."_

OOO

 **hola! oh wow, she's actually sticking to what she said? hUUuuuUUUH?**

 **this one is a tad shorter (sorries) but this isn't the original one i wanted to post. just got a spark of inspiration last minute and here we are. hope it was worth the wait (?) the song is "Porcelain Face" which i found through a Lukanette animatic (amazing art, check it out!)**

 **thank you for your reviews! i wouldn't call myself a "saviour". i think the true saviours are you guys since you're the ones helping keep the story alive.**

 **anyways, im gonna head off, but thank you again for still reading!**

 **you are all appreciated!**

 **have a good night/day depending on where you are in the world!**

 **-V**

 **p.s i have an instagram now if any of you guys would like to follow along with "updates" with the story, or if you just want to say hello :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Undercover**

"You look like a boy."

Chun Hua turned her head to see Wenhe Jiang sitting at the counter. She sighed and looked down at her attire. She was just in her work uniform—what was so wrong with it? Deciding to ignore his comment, Chun walked away from him, "I'm not giving you another free drink, Jiang." She said, rolling her eyes while cleaning a nearby table, "We're closing soon, why are you here?"

The painter shrugged, "I wanted to see you." He leaned on the back of his chair, staring at her with interest, "Plus…I've already had a drink, haha…"

Chun Hua froze mid wipe and she looked over at him, "Only _one_?".

Jiang winced and made a so-so motion with one of his hands, "Ehhh…maybe I had…eight." He hiccupped and giggled goofily.

Chun threw the cloth onto the table in annoyance, " _Jiang_ …" she groaned. She had no time to deal with this, but she knew how bad he got when he was drunk. She sighed and looked over at her leopard coworker, giving her a look. She seemed to understand immediately and simply nodded.

"C'mon you idiot…" Chun mumbled, grabbing his wing and dragging him to the back room.

Jiang stumbled out of the chair and followed Chun with no hesitation. She brought the two of them into a storage closet where all their supplies were kept. She _should_ be able to find things to help her friend stay standing until she finished her shift.

"Here." She sat him down on a small stool that was in there, "Sit down while I fix something up for you…" She turned around and began to scroll through the shelves for some tea she could brew.

Suddenly, something encased her in a soft embrace.

"Hmmm, you're so warm my love~" The closet was so small that Wenhe Jiang had just leaned forward and wrapped his wings around her. His hat had fallen down, landing in front of her, and his beak was resting atop her head.

Chun Hua sighed, "First of all, I'm cold-blooded," She said, carefully prying him off her. She turned back around and sat him back up, "And second, I told you to stop calling me that — we're on a mission, Crane." She blushed and brushed a few crumbs off his shirt.

The Master chuckled and put stroked her cheeks with his feathers, "Hehehehe… there is no space in this pantry." He then playfully wiggled his eyebrows, "Did you drag me in here for _another reason_ , Master Viper~?"

He immediately got his face pushed away. "I brought you in here to help you sober up before you blow our cover, _Jiang_." Viper moved his wings away, not wanting to get herself allured by her drunken teammate, "Shifu said we couldn't come in contact with each other in public unless we had something to report."

"I _do_ have something to report." He managed to say, looking at her through half-lidded eyes, "…but…I may be too drunk to remember…"

Viper groaned in exasperation, leaning her head on his chest, "Damnit, Crane…"

The two Masters were sent on an undercover mission in Guilin. Someone had been poisoning the lakes and the Li River, causing many villagers in the nearby area to suffer from a sickness that could lead to death if not properly treated. Shifu and the rest of the Five were helping out the villages by transporting water from other sources and nursing the infected population. Crane and Viper were given the important task of finding the actual culprits. Crane's observations, from when they first came to Guilin, showed that the tainted water was continuing to become more and more toxic with each passing day — meaning that they were still infecting the water. The species that inhabit Guilin have a large population of reptiles and avians, so Crane and Viper were the best candidates for an undercover mission.

Viper had been getting some leads and information through the customers at the bar, and Crane had seen some shady figures while he was painting landscapes of the lakes, but there was no solid evidence or clear lead…

"You're pretty…"

…and the mission was sometimes compromised nights like _this_ one.

Viper looked up at her friend and signed, "Crane, you've got to stop doing this."

"This is only the third time I've gotten drunk this month, love." Crane slurred, massaging the scales on her back, "Going undercover is harder than I thought it would be."

"You're telling me…"The reptile mumbled, pushing herself away from him again, going back to scrolling for something to get information out of this idiot, "Ah, here we go…" she took a container off of the highest shelf, "Have you thrown up yet, sweetie?"

This made Crane giggle uncontrollably. His cheeks turned redder and ruffled his feathers nervously, "I love it when you call me like that~"

Viper groaned and repeated the question, " _Did_ you?"

"Yyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuup."

"Good."

OOO

Viper and Crane — or rather, Chun Hua and Wenhe Jiang — had been living in a small cottage by the Lake for almost a month now, and, he wasn't going to lie to himself, Crane was terrified. He had just realized that his affections for Viper were still present after all these years, and now they're assigned a mission where they'd be staying together in a confined space for a prolonged period of time…ALONE!

And now he's drunk. In front of her. Again.

"Ughhhhh…" he groaned, burying his face in his wings as he sat by himself on the porch overlooking the Lake. What was he doing? Why won't these feelings just go away?! He wants to back to his normal self. His normal, non-loving-Viper self. Everything has been different with him and her since he's re-realized his affections and. His speech has no flow when he tries to hold a conversation; he can't look her in her beautiful, deep, azure eyes or his stomach will just go _blehrg_ ; and his heart will refuse to stay intact if she calls him "honey".

And it sucks!

And now he's drunk.

Which one is worse?

"Honey~"

Oh God, not again! "Y-yes…?" He turned his head and was immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Viper blushed, nearly dropping the tray of tea she brought out, "U-uh…and ginger." She said, completing her sentence, "Honey and ginger tea. I-it'll help sober you up…" She quickly placed two teacups on the railing and started to sip out of hers.

She didn't know how much more of this she could take. The third time this month. Three times he's gone against Shifu's regular orders regarding alcohol, three times he has gotten drunk, and three times he has drunkenly flirted with her.

And two times, when he woke up in the morning, he had forgotten all about it.

But for some reason, she would always feel some sort of sting in her chest. It's for the best he forgets. It's not like anything can happen between them. Their emotions are irrelevant; they have a mission to complete.

"You're so smart…"

Viper pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked up at Crane. He was just staring at her with those dumbfounded, idiot, stupid…love consumed eyes. She tried to hold back the heat creeping onto her face, "Drink your tea, Master Crane." She said with the straightest face possible, averting her eyes from his.

He sighed, "I-I don't want to."

"And why not~?"

"I don't wanna sober up. I won't have the courage to face you if I'm sober…"

Viper sighed and looked down at the porch floor, "Wouldn't you rather face me sober? That way you could actually remember what you say to me." She said with a sort of sombre tone.

Crane leaned on the railing and stared at her, "I'm sorry." He said, stroking the side of her face, "I'm sorry I can't tell you how I feel."

Viper went wide-eyed. She quickly pushed his wing away and backed away from him, "Crane…"

He stared off into the night, "You're…magnificent. I don't know. You're everything I've ever dreamt of. I don't know…I guess…" he sighed, and sipped the tea just a little bit, "I guess I'm still in love with you."

He all of a sudden became aware of what he just said and dropped the teacup, hearing it shatter on the porch. His eyes went to Viper who was just…staring at him with a familiar shocked look. His wings went to his mouth as if he could just take the words back, "W-what did you put in that tea?!" He exclaimed, hiding his blushing face from her. "Ughhh… oh nooooo… I did it again…"

Crane braced himself for rejection, a scolding, an anything. He's been compromising the mission the entire time they've been undercover, and the realization that Viper had been taking care of his mistakes had just dawned upon him…

…and now, he just confessed to her!

…again!

Viper sighed, that was it…"This is dumb."

"Yeah, I know. I'm so-"

"Neither of us can ever be happy where we are now if we keep going on like this." She looked off to the lake.

"I know. Again, I'm so-"

"This sucks."

"I know!"

"Gods, why are we like this?!"

"I'm sorry!" Crane blinked, "Wait… ' _we'_?" He repeated.

Suddenly Viper found her tail on her mouth. _Shit_.

"Viper…do you…?"

"No!" She said quickly, covering her mouth again. She blushed at her outburst and looked away from the avian, "Well…m-maybe… I don't know!" She turned around so he faced her back.

Silence engulfed the two Masters. As they stood on the deck, covering their mouths, frozen in place. As they had put it, the situation did, indeed, suck.

Viper and Crane finally decided they couldn't stay like that forever and went back to standing next to each other, avoiding eye contact. They both sighed simultaneously, and Viper leaned onto her teammate. Crane wrapped a wing around her in response,"Looks like we're in trouble…again." He chuckled half-heartedly.

Viper gave him a sad smile, "Yeah. I guess we are."

Crane looked down at her, then back at the polluted lake, "What are we gonna do?"

Viper shook her head, "Nothing."

Crane pulled her closer in the hug and nodded, "Right."

The tea spilled through the cracks of the deck.

OOO

 **hey y'all. i was doing so well ! :'))**

 **yeah, May was** _ **not**_ **the best month for v. but i managed to get this...mess-of-an-ending-one-shot uploaded at the beginning of June! as an apology, i'll post another one this month !**

 **anyways, here's another thing. idk if you guys want to see how they solved the toxic lake problem. but if you do, just tell me and i can continue the one-shot another time :))**

 **thanks for reading this...mess (please, if you have any ideas how i can improve, feel free to PM me!)**

 **see you later this month!**

 **\- vstrays**


	13. Chapter 13

_(Early Days)_

 **38\. Blessing**

 _When you think of a blessing, you think of it as some sort of big, important, miraculous force brought upon you. Like having someone you care about brought back to life or something. But a blessing can be much more than a supernatural miracle. It can come to you in many ways, in many shapes and sizes…_

"Hey, Vi? Is it alright if I see what you're writing for this-?"

… _aaaaaand_ there goes the ink…

The reptile gave a deadpanned look at her avian friend, who simply chuckled nervously, "Heh, heh…s-sorry~" he apologized, meekly, "Somehow, that always seems to happen whenever I don't knock…"

Viper smiled and shook her head, crumpling up the ink-stained parchment paper, "Well, maybe that's why you should knock before entering my room, as I _keep_ reminding you." She threw the ball of paper into the trash bin with ease, along with several other ones, "As for what I'm writing…I am still trying to figure it out."

She got up from her seat and brandished a new scroll, placing it on her desk after cleaning up the spill, "Also, didn't Oogway say that we weren't allowed to tell each other what word we got? He said it would ' _ruin the exercise.'_ "

Crane let himself in and groaned, "But he _also_ said that what we wrote would determine our fates and cause rippling effects throughout our lives! I don't even know how that's possible!" He shook his feathers violently, "Besides, everyone already knows each others words, we all asked each other after we left the temple."

Viper frowned, "What? How come I wasn't invited?"

"Vi, you dashed straight to your room after we were dismissed."

She blushed in embarrassment and looked to the floor, "Heh heh, oops. I guess I got…excited."

Crane rolled his eyes, "I got the word ' _Serendipity.'"_ He said, annunciating each syllable, "I-I don't even know what that means."

Viper was already getting her desk back in order, "It's the chance occurrence of events that happen but in a happy or beneficial way." She explained getting her brush back into her tail, "As if you're on a quest, and keep making unplanned but amazing discoveries that are not a part of your task at hand."

Crane nodded, "So, basically…a series of luck or good accidents."

"There are no accidents." Viper furrowed her eyes. Well, that came out of nowhere. Why did she say that? What does that even mean? She shook herself out of it and chose to ignore whatever that was as she sensed Crane's confusion, "Er, uh, it is a beautiful word though." She dipped the brush in the ink and began to write the title once more.

Trying to look around her to see what she was writing, Crane just decided to ask, "Soooo, what's your word?"

Well, compared to Crane's astounding word, Viper's word seemed kind of pathetic. She blushed and finished writing it out. She moved out of the way to show Crane, who looked over excitedly.

"'Blessing?'" He said, adjusting his hat, "That's…endearing…" he smiled at his friend. It seemed a bit unfitting, especially for Viper.

This just resulted in the tree viper slamming her head onto her desk, "It's hopeless. What am I supposed to do with this?! Blessing? What am I supposed to write about? Past? Present? Future? Wants? Needs? The word is so vague."

"So that means you can write about _anything_." Crane interrupted, placing his hat on her head playfully.

Viper huffed and turned to try and look up at her friend, but the gigantic circle of shade covered her view of him, "What do you mean? Isn't that a bad thing?"

She heard him shake his head, "There is so much you can write about. Anything you consider a blessing in your life, something or someone that has blessed you," Crane listed, "I'd rather have your word. With mine, I have to be so specific with what I need to write. A _good_ unplanned event?"

"I'd rather have _your_ word," Viper said, getting up, tilting the hat so she could actually make eye contact, "I don't think I've blessed anyone…" she mumbled, thinking back to her childhood.

Crane stayed silent for a few seconds before saying in a slightly hesitant voice, "How about _being_ blessed with something…or someone?"

Viper paused and thought some more. No venom definitely was not a blessing. How much of her life was lost because of that defect in her small fangs? But then again, how much of her life has she lived since she decided to ignore that defect? She is in the Jade Palace. She is now training to become a master of kung fu. She has met so many amazing animals who have…blessed her. Monkey and Mantis have taken some getting used to, but they bring so much happiness and laughter to the team. Tigress is the first girl friend she made (other than her sisters) and although she is much different than she expected, it is comforting knowing there is another female on the team. And Crane…the first friend she made outside of her village. He was so nice to her. The two of them have developed their bond throughout the entirety of these few years of knowing each other. If it wasn't for him, being so nice to her, and accepting her, she wouldn't have that slight increase in confidence that she has in herself now.

Noticing she had been quiet for a long while, she smiled at Crane and booped his beak, "You've blessed me, Crane, ~" she said, sweetly, "And I am so grateful that you are in my life~"

Crane blushed. Why does she look so cute in his hat? He smiled back, "You've blessed me too, Vi."

For some reason, she felt her heart warm up and sent happiness travelling throughout her body. She decided to ignore the initial embarrassment and relish in this wonderful feeling, "How about you?" She asked, suddenly.

"H-huh?"

"Haven't you encountered anything or anyone that you weren't expecting, but has improved your life significantly?" She asked, looking at her desk.

Another smile formed on his face, but it was more of a dreamily-daze kind of smile as he looked at his teammate with his matching dreamily-daze gaze, "Yeah, now that I think about it…"

Viper looked at him and blushed when she saw the way he was looking at her.

Neither of them broke eye contact though.

But…knowing the both of them, the two of them realized the situation really quickly, analyzed each other's features, and the close proximity of their faces…

They both looked away from each other and "cleared their throats." Viper had no idea what just happened, but the scrolls were due at the end of the day and the two of them needed to start writing something soon.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to bring it up, "Ah, w-well…" Crane slowly backed up, moving towards the door, "I-I suppose we should get writing, considering we have someone—something! to actually write about."

Viper smiled, taking off his hat, "Yeah, I suppose we do." She threw the hat like a frisbee and it landed on his head perfectly.

Crane chuckled and tipped his hat to her, continuing to back up, "Thank you for-ow!" He bumped into the doorframe, making Viper giggle, "Heh, th-thank you for helping me, Vi."

"No problem, love." She said casually, "Good luck~!"

"Yeah, you too." Crane, closed the door finally separating the two warriors.

Viper squealed internally and sighed in relief, trying to cool her face down. Did she just call Crane ' _love'_?!

OOO

 _When you think of a blessing, you think of it as some sort of big, important, miraculous force brought upon you. Like having someone you care about being brought back to life. But a blessing can be the smallest, seemingly insignificant moment, and be absolutely life-changing at the same time. Every day of your life is a blessing. We cherish every day we live and breathe and exist. Simply existing and being there makes_ you _a blessing. A blessing in this world because you bless others in their lives, and they bless you back. Small, seemingly insignificant moments. Sometimes we cannot see the blessings, but they are there and they are exactly what we need. Reasons to live. Find a blessing, find a reason to exist._

Oogway read each letter with a smile. Each student reveals something about themselves with each word. You learn something new every day…

"There are no accidents…" he chuckled to himself, as he compared two of the five scrolls to each other.

OOO

 **remember when i said i would post once a month? while i am sticking to that statement, i am sure y'all can tell i am not doing a great job at it. let's just not believe anything i say from now on, but stick around because i really do enjoy writing for these two :))**

 **since it's summer, i should have more time to write but watch me have writers' block for days and write and post last minute (which is kind of what inspired this story).** **anyways, i hope you guys are having a coolio summer vacation so far. (or just a wonderful regular day if that's what you're doing on your part of the world).**

 **as per usual, review or PM me to give constructive criticism or just to say 'hey'.**

 **here are some replies/thank yous:**

 _ **The Little Selkie 925:**_ **You're so sweet! Thank you for the review! We will go down with this smol ship together my fren :))**

 _ **RussianNormal:**_ **Nice to see you again my bean! thank you for sticking with this mess 33**

 ** _Guest:_ Although I do not speak your language ****that well (yet)** **, I am appreciative for your review! Gracias~!**

 **see you (hopefully) next month, lovelies 3**

 **-v**


	14. Chapter 14

_(Aftermath)_ **81\. Nowhere**

"You truly are the most beautiful woman I've ever met…"

Viper dropped her chopsticks, watching them slowly descend to her bowl of noodles. Suddenly, the entire restaurant started to move in slow motion as she began to process what had just been said to her.

 _That…came out of nowhere!_ Nothing, literally _nothing_ , had provoked that comment. She and Crane had just gone out for noodles during their mission, they spoke for a while, ate in silence for a few minutes, and then…

Her mind was racing. There were so many questions running around in her brain, that she might as well just host a marathon in there. Why did he say something like that? What made him say that? Who on earth decides that _that_ is something to break the silence with? How could this have happened?!

Memories came to her in flashes, lasting semi seconds, of her and the avian in their younger years. Unafraid, naive, and hopeless. They were stuck in a fantasy that would never come to be. An inseparable duo that seemed to be on their own planet whenever they were together.

Just the two of them.

Those thoughts gave her a feeling of false happiness. While the flashbacks were supposed to be full of wonder and…magic, instead she had filtered them to be memories of the dark days of her and Crane's relationship. Endearing compliments turned into curses. Lovely gestures turned into acts of misdeed. And even being seen alone together caused means for whispers and rumours and…ugly words.

A snake and a crane? Unheard of.

The tip of one of her chopsticks hit the rim of her bowl…

She didn't know how to react. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what she would say to him. She didn't even know what to feel. After all these years of distance and separation, trying so hard to forget their past, everything fell apart with one simple sentence that shouldn't have this kind of effect her. Its effect should be…nice.

And…it did feel nice.

But, it shouldn't. If it feels nice, that means it's wrong. Right?

But there was a time when it felt right.

More memories came rushing back. Words that were exchanged. Small, caring actions that made her feel the heat on her face and butterflies within her heart…

" _If I gave you my heart, would you give it back?"_

" _What a strange question. Why do you ask?"_

" _Just wondering. You've had it for a while now, so I kinda want to know if you were planning on returning it."_

"…"

"… _Vi-?"_

" _Well, I feel like it'd be fair if I kept it since you still haven't given mine back."_

"…"

"…"

"… _You truly are someone special, Viper~"_

Without warning, Viper felt something warm accumulate in her chest - like there was a wall built up around her heart, and it was gradually cracking, bit by bit. She had felt this before. Back when the two of them were happy to be together.

Her eating utensils were slowly falling into the soup itself, making a small ripple and a slow slash. Viper still couldn't bring herself to look up across the table at her teammate.

Her teammate.

When did she stop calling him her partner? Her best friend? When did he stop calling her by that cute little nickname? When did they…stop?

She remembered when Shifu suddenly stopped sending them on missions together. She remembered not being allowed to go out to the village anymore. She remembered never getting to be alone with him. She remembered that with each small alteration made to their relationship, the more lonely the both of them felt.

Although, while their separation did bring them closer to their other teammates, they found themselves barely knowing each other at all. It took years after the Master ceremony for them to get as close as they were back when they first met. Was it all worth it?

Then there was silence.

Her mind went blank. She didn't know where she was. Everything disappeared and she found herself in the middle of nowhere.

All that was left was her, the table, and Crane.

She looked up at the avian for the first time. His eyes were glued onto her, and he donned a hesitant smile. His face seemed…scared. Scared of what she was going to say. Scared of what he had just said. He shouldn't be scared. His words have had the same effect on her as they had since their childhood. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be so afraid of her. But…she was afraid too. Afraid that the other animals in the restaurant had heard him, afraid he would get into some sort of trouble. But they shouldn't _be_ afraid.

None of this makes sense. But one thing she did know, she didn't them to be afraid anymore. She realized the two of them had been suffering in silence all these years. And even though they are still doomed to be, the least they can do is learn to be happy with each other again.

And that would be enough for her.

To feel happy again.

The rest of the restaurant came back and time resumed its natural speed. Viper was still looking down at her bowl, her chopsticks nearly completely sunken into the soup. She looked up, seeing Crane.

She took his wing in her tail and gave him a real, genuine smile. "You still got it."

OOO

 **yo, y'all remember undertale? that was a good game :))**

 **ever find yourself falling back into old fandoms while still trying to keep up with your current fandoms and you're stuck in this mess of random fanart and unfinished one-shots that you're writing?**

 **me neither :,)**

 **anyways, look i did a thing! thanks for sticking around lovelies~! online school is tough so instead of studying, I wrote this :))**

 **hope it's worth it (yes it is).**

 **review if you want to~**

 **stay hydrated!**

 **-v 33**


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